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A review by wishbea
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
A haunting, beautiful, unnerving book that uses horror elements to compliment the themes of grief woven through this story.
It is a look inside the mind of a woman grieving her wife. Encompassing the experience of grieving for someone who is still alive, caring for them as they deteriorate, grieving someone who is missing, the reality of being a carer and simply trying to make that person comfortable because you know there is nothing else you can do.
If you read this book, don't read it expecting your questions to be answered. We never learn the reasons why this happens to Leah, but this felt appropriate because it aligns with the themes of grief present throughout the entire book. Sometimes when people are ill you truly don't know why, you never find out why and you have to learn to live with that even if it haunts you for the rest of your life. That is what the story of Miri and Leah is about, which is part of what makes this book so powerful for me as a reader.
Please read this book, it does a wonderful job portraying such a difficult part of the human experience.
My only criticism is that the book was a bit too slow paced and that was frustrating at times.
It is a look inside the mind of a woman grieving her wife. Encompassing the experience of grieving for someone who is still alive, caring for them as they deteriorate, grieving someone who is missing, the reality of being a carer and simply trying to make that person comfortable because you know there is nothing else you can do.
If you read this book, don't read it expecting your questions to be answered. We never learn the reasons why this happens to Leah, but this felt appropriate because it aligns with the themes of grief present throughout the entire book. Sometimes when people are ill you truly don't know why, you never find out why and you have to learn to live with that even if it haunts you for the rest of your life. That is what the story of Miri and Leah is about, which is part of what makes this book so powerful for me as a reader.
Please read this book, it does a wonderful job portraying such a difficult part of the human experience.
My only criticism is that the book was a bit too slow paced and that was frustrating at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Body horror, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, and Death