Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is an exploration of grief when the person you are grieving is right beside you. This book is a sapphic horror focused on the anticipation of a loss yet to come. It is melancholic and atmospheric. At times you will feel as claustrophobic as the characters as they pull you into their environment and tell you what they’ve learned.

Miri’s wife, Leah, a marine biologist, is on a deep sea observation mission that is set to last three weeks. When Leah’s vessel fails to emerge after months and the organization Leah works for is fielding Miri’s calls, she assumes Leah is dead. That is, until Leah finally comes home. The Leah that has returned, however, is unlike the Leah that left. She is a shadow of herself, and Miri is left desperately trying to save the woman she loves from whatever unknown events took place on the ocean floor.

This book is a gripping horror. The pacing is slow to start, but the story kept my interest throughout. Around the halfway point I found myself unable to put the book down. With a dual perspective, both Miri and Leah having alternating chapters, you read both past and present simultaneously until the timelines meet. This formatting enhanced the suspense factor of both perspectives. Also to this point, however, I found Miri’s chapters slightly repetitive as the story went on. They sometimes felt like a break in the story rather than an addition.

What I loved about this story was the depth of the relationship between Miri and Leah, told through glimpses of their life before and the care Miri shows Leah once everything has gone to ruin. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the ocean’s expanse versus the small apartment the couple share is a fantastic parallel highlighting Leah’s neverending mission. I truly felt Leah’s uncertainty and eventual submission as well as Miri’s longing and loss.

I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a bit of body horror and a bit of sadness to keep them up at night. All in all, this book delivers on what it promises.

this book came into my home, reached into my chest, uprooted my entire circulatory system, and left me for dead and i not only enjoyed it but also said thank you

Very interesting concept but the writing style was not for me. Unfortunately as I felt a disconnect as I believe it was the writing style of the book. I applaud the author as it is the right book for the correct audience. It just wasn’t to my taste. I applaud the author, however as it is an original premise.

I loved this book! This is one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 and it did not disappoint. I will absolutely be purchasing a physical copy.

The mystery of how and why Leah's "accident" occurred pulls you along, but doesn't have a satisfactory resolution. I kept wondering where all the lawyers were.

I like how the monotony of sickness, of gradually losing someone, is conveyed. The ocean is talked about in ways that capture how vast, oppressive, and strange it is.

It all felt sort of inevitable, sustained by lack of communication between the characters, which I found frustrating. Close up, line by line, I enjoyed it.

I want to start off by saying that the writing in Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is arrestingly beautiful. It reminds me a lot of the writing style of Don DeLillo, especially his novel, The Body Artist. I was captivated by the very first line and remained intrigued throughout. I’m not sure if it is my natural unease with the deep ocean, but Armfield managed to create an increasingly eerie feeling throughout the book. At times, I even felt closed in and borderline claustrophobic where I had to put the book down. This ominous tone seems purposeful on the part of Armfield and she does it well.

I chose this book as the first to read for my December Reading Goals because the premise is unique and it is at once within the Science Fiction and LGBTQ+ Literature.

I give this book a 4 out of 5. The reason I couldn’t give this book a 5 out of 5 is because the ending, while it felt satisfying in a way, did not completely wrap up the book in a nice bow.

I gave this book 1 out of 5 peppers. There isn’t any actual spice in this book, but there are a few mentions of actions though not fully described.

What I Loved

The Writing: As I mentioned, the writing in this book is beautiful. Long sections of prose pulled me in and wrapped me into the pages. Armfield also did a great job of mimicking the feeling of the characters with an overall eerie vibe throughout.

Multiple POV and Time Periods: I think this style of writing lends itself well to building up the heartbreak and empathy of the work but simultaneously creates the ominous feeling.

Subtle Science Fiction: The way Science Fiction blends with reality is artistic. At times, I forgot that we weren’t fully in everyday reality.

Realistic Feelings: It is obvious that Leah and Miri love each other as seen through the flashbacks. However, Miri’s reactions to Leah’s changes felt realistic even though they were outside the realm of realism. I don’t want to say too much in the realm of spoilers, but you’ll understand what I mean by this if you read the book.

Not So Much

The Ending: I’m still left with questions and wishing I fully understood what happened. While this ending feels like the point of the novel, I still wanted more from it.

Secondary Characters: I think the lack of care paid to secondary characters was purposefully done to create an additional sense of the world revolving around Leah and Miri. However, I do wish more was done with them.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. It is not a casual Sunday read like a flirty romance, but hooks you in.

While not yet released, Our Wives Under the Sea is available for pre-order on Amazon. It will be released on July 12, 2022.

The concept of this book was fascinating, but it ended up just not being for me. The prose and language successfully created a very atmospheric story; however, I often felt a strong disconnect from the characters and story. I do applaud and really enjoyed the author's way of creating a very eerie and haunting atmosphere that left me feeling claustrophobic and unsettled like the characters were.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I tried to like this book, but it just wasn’t for me. The prose is beautiful (and sometimes haunting), but I found the narrative to be convoluted and often repetitive - I almost believe it would be better suited as a short story or novella.

Miri misses her wife when the shell of a woman comes back from a deep sea exploration gone horribly wrong. Leah wanders the house and runs the taps, bleeding and starving she has become an unknown creature to her wife.

Despite my lack of love the storytelling, I commend the author in her ability to create what essentially is a LBGTQ horror-romance.

The style of writing is reminiscent of Kate Hope Day, another author who writes stunning prose.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and Picador press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whew, I just finished this book and I don't exactly know what to think of it yet. It's unexpected. The tension builds slowly, the writing is as claustrophobic as the plot (which is a good thing), and the characters are compelling (if a little underdeveloped). I couldn't put it down, and I was compelled to keep reading to find out what had happened. The ending was entirely satisfying, even if I wanted more. I don't know how I'm going to be able to talk about this book without giving everything away.

I am so confused on how to rate this book or what I feel about it after reading it. Yes, FEEL because this is THAT kind of story. I've had the range experiencing this story; interested, involved, afraid, frustrated, happy, peaceful, scared and disgusted. I mean, wow. Did I like this? yes but then, not so much? Too much is left hanging, undetermined and unclear for my usual tidy mind. I like things wrapped up! This leaves so much uncertainly that you're forced to really take it for what it's worth, the story of the Ultimate action in the name of love. This will haunt me I'm sure. It already has. And I KNOW that one day, I'll come back around and visit this book again, looking for and not finding any of the answers I so want to have.

In the before times, Miri was the difficult wife, the one who went through periods of withdrawal and melancholy. But when Leah's research trip aboard a submarine goes terribly wrong, leaving her trapped at the bottom of the sea for months, she returns changed. She can't seem to explain anything about her experience, instead spending hours in the bath, running the taps, and drinking salt water. Alternating between Miri and Leah's perspectives, Our Wives Under the Sea explores the dangers of the deep, the way trauma reshapes us, and the unexpected turns in intimate relationships.

I FOUGHT to get my hands on a copy of this book because the lesbian bookternet has been gushing about it, and it totally lived up to the hype! Haunting prose, a creeping sense of doom, and terrifying deep sea depictions make this book impossible to put down. I still feel Miri and Leah's story in my bones days after finishing it, wondering what was real and what was imagined. I'll never look at the sea the same way again.

First of all, yes, this is a singularly strange book: Miri’s beloved wife Leah has finally returned from a deep-sea exploration gone wrong, and she seems to slowly but surely be turning into some kind of ocean creature. The story alternates between Miri’s and Leah's perspectives, but we never hear from Leah once she surfaces - we only learn, in bits and pieces that jigsaw-puzzle together around holes never quite filled in, what might have happened in that dark and crushing pressure at the bottom of the sea.

If pushed to describe it, I'd say imagine vestiges of the plot from Dr. Franklin's Island (Ann Halam), with the stunned disbelief - articulated in the most hauntingly beautiful ways - of finding oneself in a completely new reality from Station Eleven (Emily St. John Mandel), with amassing undertones of the amorphous dread so compellingly conveyed in Leave the World Behind (Rumaan Alam).

While the plot is extraordinary in every sense of the word, the story manages to be deeply, heartbreakingly relatable. Ambiguous loss - the specific type of grief you feel when the person you love still exists, in a sense, but isn't the same - is universal, and this eerie and beautiful book is fundamentally about it.

I loved this book and believe it will be one of the most-discussed, most-acclaimed of 2022.

I read this book in one sitting and have to say, it's one of my favorite books, period. I'm obsessed! The writing is elegant and unsettling, a perfect combination for me. It's literary, which I love in general, but also blends in science fiction/light dystopia, which isn't usually my thing, but I was totally into it for this book. I think the voice and prose keep it from feeling like "stereotypical" genre fiction. I love the queer domesticity, and the horror in it, and the love, too. If I could read this book with fresh eyes, I would immediately, just to get the same excitement with each page. Also, I want this made into a movie!!

Our Wives Under The Sea is not a read for everyone. I finished it and was like “ well that’s a waste of time. “
But as days went on, the writing seemed to haunt me as I unpacked everything I had just read.
Julia Armfields novel is melancholy, full of love, loss, grief, and even horror.
Armfields novel centers around a married couple Mimi and Leah. Leah was “trapped” underwater for months when an underwater research project goes wrong. And once she returned to the surface, she is no longer the same. With Alternating points of view Leahs narrative told of her time under the ocean, while Mimi’s told in present tense time.
While Leah struggles to be present again now that she is home, Mimi’s voice grieves for the women she loves. Armfields story is lyrical, her writing is poetic in how it shows grief, loss, and letting go.

Thank you PanMacmillian for the ARC via Netgally.

This was a beautifully written book that touched upon loss, grieving, and relationships. It was an enjoyable read and I was sucked in and finished the book in two days. I took off a star because I found the ending to be inconclusive to the answers I was seeking.

I found the premise of this book fascinating but the reading was a bit difficult. The two perspective narration and the plot line were not quite in synch for me. Though the characters were compelling and true to life, even with the supernatural nature of the book. I enjoyed this book, but there were a lot of questions left unanswered because of the ambiguity of the background devices used in the story.

A mesmerizing read so beautifully written emotionally moving.A story of grief a story that will haunt and stay with you.An author who writes so poetically so unnervingly.Will be recommending the book the author.#netgalley #flatironbooks.

"I'm not drowning, I'm waving" is what I want on my tombstone. This book would agree.

Lyrical is an overused book review word, right? But what if you could tattoo a feeling on your body. What if a book was a song. What if what if what if more books were like this one? Things would be better.

I raced through Julia Armfield’s short story collection, Salt Slow, in 2020. So when buzz began to build around her debut novel, the fantastically titled Our Wives Under the Sea, I had incredibly high hopes. I am delighted to confirm that this gorgeous book exceeded all my expectations.

Our Wives Under the Sea is the story of a couple, told in alternating chapters. Leah tells a story of claustrophobic horror, an exploratory dive gone horrible wrong. Miri shares how Leah returns from the incident an understandably different person.

Armfield’s prose is literally breathtaking. The contrasting chapters really work. Leah is the scientific type; fact-driven with sparse descriptions. Miri focuses on the range of emotions that come with caring for a loved one who, through no fault or their own, changes mentally or physically; the guilt, the resentment, the overwhelming myriad of emotions is captured beautifully.

And if that wasn’t enough, the story alone is one of the most intriguing I’ve read in a long time. Armfield creates a real sense of unease, and the reader is never completely sure what is real or not. Like all truly unsettling novels, some things are never really explained. I’m still thinking about it weeks later.

Armfield’s prose is literally breathtaking. The contrasting chapters really work. Leah is the scientific type; fact-driven with sparse descriptions. Miri focuses on the range of emotions that come with caring for a loved one who, through no fault or their own, changes mentally or physically; the guilt, the resentment, the overwhelming myriad of emotions is captured beautifully.

My personal recommendation is, and please forgive the pun, to take an afternoon to completely immerse yourself in this story. Our Wives Under the Sea is as close to a perfect novel as it can get. I can absolutely see myself re-reading this whenever I get the chance. Put this on your wishlist right now.