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A review by emoverhere
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
5.0
I don’t even know where to start with this, there’s a jumble of emotions and thoughts rattling around my brain and I’m not entirely sure if wording them is possible, so here’s a poor attempt at just that:
Our Wives Under The Sea is brilliantly unique, beautifully written, and gave me the oddest case of heartbreak that I’ve ever experienced. I fell in love with Leah through Miri’s memories of who she used to be Before, and witnessing that, and the state of her in the After left me with an ache that only grew as her condition worsened, I’ve never read a book where loss seems so sudden yet so slow at the same time, it almost felt cruel.
I loved the way Miri was written, loved seeing how she barely kept it together in time of crisis, the disorientation that struck her life out of order after Leah’s return, even when things didn’t seem awful at first. I loved how the sudden realization of what was happening to her wife, subconscious as it might’ve been at first, made her grow closer and fonder to her, even when her body grew unrecognizable and distorted by what she’s been through. And I love, LOVE, her final act of sacrifice, of allowing Leah to go even at the expense of great heartache and a lifetime of loneliness, it’s gut-wrenching, it’s tear jerking, and it is nothing short of brilliant.
I could go on for days about how great the world of the book was, how instantly shady and untrustworthy the Centre was, how claustrophobic the submarine’s darkness felt in the bright light of my own room, how Miri’s inability to truly be there for her best friend despite her desire to do just that because she was so drained all the time resonated with me. Hell, even the neighbors’ loud TV was always present in the back of Miri’s parts.
In conclusion (if such a word could be used when there’s still so many emotions knocking about my body): this was a magnificent read, I found myself hurrying out of work because I just couldn’t wait to see what came next for these two women, and that was something I’ve been missing for so long– that intense desire to sink (ha) into a story and let it completely take over every inch of reality. This book reminded me of why I love reading so much in the first place, and for that I’ll forever cherish it. I am so so excited to read whatever brilliant piece of literature Julia Armfield’s gigantic brain comes up with next.
Our Wives Under The Sea is brilliantly unique, beautifully written, and gave me the oddest case of heartbreak that I’ve ever experienced. I fell in love with Leah through Miri’s memories of who she used to be Before, and witnessing that, and the state of her in the After left me with an ache that only grew as her condition worsened, I’ve never read a book where loss seems so sudden yet so slow at the same time, it almost felt cruel.
I loved the way Miri was written, loved seeing how she barely kept it together in time of crisis, the disorientation that struck her life out of order after Leah’s return, even when things didn’t seem awful at first. I loved how the sudden realization of what was happening to her wife, subconscious as it might’ve been at first, made her grow closer and fonder to her, even when her body grew unrecognizable and distorted by what she’s been through. And I love, LOVE, her final act of sacrifice, of allowing Leah to go even at the expense of great heartache and a lifetime of loneliness, it’s gut-wrenching, it’s tear jerking, and it is nothing short of brilliant.
I could go on for days about how great the world of the book was, how instantly shady and untrustworthy the Centre was, how claustrophobic the submarine’s darkness felt in the bright light of my own room, how Miri’s inability to truly be there for her best friend despite her desire to do just that because she was so drained all the time resonated with me. Hell, even the neighbors’ loud TV was always present in the back of Miri’s parts.
In conclusion (if such a word could be used when there’s still so many emotions knocking about my body): this was a magnificent read, I found myself hurrying out of work because I just couldn’t wait to see what came next for these two women, and that was something I’ve been missing for so long– that intense desire to sink (ha) into a story and let it completely take over every inch of reality. This book reminded me of why I love reading so much in the first place, and for that I’ll forever cherish it. I am so so excited to read whatever brilliant piece of literature Julia Armfield’s gigantic brain comes up with next.