The language in Julia Armfield's OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA is exquisite. It's a book to read more for the beauty of literature than a page=turning plot. Leah's physical presence after her return feels more haunting than when she was under the sea for six months, which is so perfectly captured when Miri claims she feels like she's living alone even with Leah in the same room. It's an intense and original exploration of loss on multiple levels as well as how the change (or transformation) of loved ones can affect those around them.

THE WRITING of this book kept me going even when i felt the storyline was kind of slacking. The prose is so beautiful and captivating. The story itself was good as well, just a bit slow at times. However, I can still see this being a great book club book selection. Trigger warning for those who don't like claustrophobia, because she writes it so well.

Leah returns from a deep-sea mission months later than expected and not acting herself. Her wife, Miri, tries desperately to hold onto the life they once had.
Strangely beautiful gothic fiction with prose that kept me turning the page. This has a sci-fi edge to it, but not too outlandish. I haven’t read anything like it!

Haunting, imaginative, and an absolute whirlwind. Can’t wait for the world to have this book! So much to discuss.

While I enjoyed the (sometimes) meandering, prose-heavy passages in 'Our Wives Under the Sea', they softened the tension, when, in fact, that tension should have been what propelled the book. In missing this mark, OWUTS will be hit-and-miss for readers. Those who can accept the book on its own terms for what it is will put it down satisfied. Those expecting more based on the summary, may leave disappointed. As other reviewers have pointed out, this book may leaves even those satisfied with it wanting more from it.

This was a case in which the back of the book summary described the book I wanted to read, and not the book I got. Yes, "Our Wives Under the Sea" describes what happens after Leah returns from a submarine voyage that carried on over four months too long, and yes, there is an element of claustrophobic body horror to this tale. But that's about it - this book is about Feelings. Characters. Entropy. Mulling. While Leah lives in the shower and drinks salted tap water, her wife Miri worries very much about her. Nothing happens. Everyone is quite passive as they describe the strange situation taking place. Nothing is really resolved, save maybe a small story of grief and acceptance.

This reminded me very much of "Leave the World Behind" by Rumaan Alam - similar distant, thoughtful tone, gorgeous writing, and ultimately very little plot. This is exactly what I think of when I think of lit fic getting in the way of a story. Someone else on here described this whole affair as very "MFA" and yes, that about covers it. I enjoyed it while I read it, but I wanted more - a lot more - than what I actually got.

Our Wives Under the Sea took a little while for me to get into but once I did I was hooked! This story truly captured how the ocean is both fascinating and terrifying.

“At night, I dream I grit my teeth so hard they break off like book matches.” -From Our Wives Under the Sea

2.5 stars

How do you make a botched submarine expedition boring? Read this book to find out. Long run on paragraphs with needlessly complicated prose and watery imagery make up the bulk of this book. If that’s your thing, you should read this. Almost no plot happens until the 75%-ish mark other than a tv being on upstairs all the time (seriously, what’s going on with this? Why is that the only thing we are told for the longest time). At that point, things get WEIRD. It’s all the same to Mimi I guess, who I have to assume is some kind of robot, because girl did not BLINK at what was happening to her wife. Odd ocean facts fill up other portions of the book. All in all, although the writing was good in a superfluous way I suppose, the characters and the book fell flat for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up last night and finished it this morning - that speaks to how compulsively readable this one is, and yet to describe it that way feels like it's cheapening things a bit. It's left me with this weird feeling I can't quite put my finger on and don't know if I'll ever be able to. I wouldn't go so far as to call this book profound or haunting, but it did have elements that made an impact.

There were things I didn't love as much, such as the lack of detail about Leah's trip and only the bare bones of her relationship wih Miri prior to The Trip, but I realize this was a stylistic choice and I do get why it was made - any more detail may have weighed the narrative down unnecessarily.

This is a tough one to talk about, partly because I'm trying to avoid spoilers and partly because this was more of an allegorical story than I really expected it to be and I still need time to think on it. That's likely a sign it was a pretty good read.

Hard to finish. The more interesting/mysterious aspects of the story were too sparse; the boring storyline too detailed.

4.5. This book was so beautifully written it would just stop me in my tracks multiple times. I highlighted sooo much during my entire reading experience. The story itself was fairly ambiguous, in terms of what is actually happening or what happens moving forward. While I am a reader that can be totally fine with ambiguity or open endings, I did find myself unsatisfied with the ending. I did not/need some clarity. That aside, the two timelines were done so effectively and had me engaged the whole time. The discussion of water, ocean, and just life and love itself was so subtle but profound. I will be thinking about this book and this story for a long time.

This book is a fever dream. It’s unnerving, unsettling, uncomfortable, pretty much all the un-s. A book with a tense atmosphere created by so many thoughtfully crafted moments, big and small. I had a creepy crawly feeling the entire time I was reading. Almost like I was being held underwater…

And I fully enjoyed the experience! The story goes through life’s hardships and triumphs, love and loss, with a haunted-underwater sci-fi element. It’s exactly the type of book I like to read, something with real human experiences set in an unworldly backdrop. I would definitely recommend!

I'm puzzled by this book. I think those who love it are able to leap over the structural haziness of the novel, and appreciate it for the lushness of the prose and also for the startling originality of some of the scenes. It's not just that it's good writing--there are some really amazing scenes, too. That's why I'm puzzled about why there are an equal or greater number of boring unnecessary scenes, of people meeting over coffee, and having conversations that go nowhere.

This novel is like a handful of unset gemstones in a black velvet bag.

What a strange and mesmerizing book. I didn't know this was everything I want in a book but indeed it is. I'll be thinking about this water-logged wife for many moons to come.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Wow. This book was taut, creepy, propulsive, and literary. I loved it.

Leah goes down in a submarine for a research mission but something goes wrong. When she comes back we hear about what happened and at the same time we hear from her wife Miri. Miri talks about their life before the mission as well as what is happening now. Talk about building tension. I thought it was beautifully written, so strange, captivating, and chilling. Definitely one of my top reads this year.

Posted Goodreads and instagram @carolinehoppereads

Leah and Miri were married when Leah went on a deep sea expedition that went missing. The novel starts with her back at home but definitely not the same. In some ways the change could symbolize any partner becoming somewhat of a stranger over time, but in other ways it's a literary horror novel watching her wife's body become unfamiliar. The chapters alternate between points of view which always works for me, and I couldn't put it down.

This was a super creepy read that gave me hardcore "Shape of Water" vibes. I know it will find its audience - several of my colleagues have already declared it on their Best Of lists for the year. Not my cuppa.

4.5 stars

Armfield's debut, salt slow, was one of my favorite reads of last year so I was very excited to check out her newest work, particularly once I read the synopsis for it. Which is undoubtedly why I had such high expectations for. Our Wives Under the Sea, a novel that is told beautifully and emotionally, though perhaps missing that final gut punch blow that might take it from really, really great, to absolutely fantastic. With a premise so unique and intriguing that it largely carries the novel through its first half (which is, incidentally, its best), Our Wives Under the Sea opens with an introduction showing both of our main characters already submerged deeply within their own internalized and externalized conflicts.

Miri and Leah have been in a relationship for long enough to have settled into routine; a routine that has been shattered by the recently prolonged underwater research trip Leah has undertaken as a part of her job as a marine researcher. Miri has been left behind, both literally and psychologically, by her partner who either cannot, or will not, share whatever personality-altering experiences she has undergone during her time away. Each of these women bring with them their own distinctive voices and distinctive perspectives on the events that have brought them to this point in their relationship; one of my favorite aspects of this novel was Armfield's deft hand at capturing the everyday ways in which lives can become enmeshed over the course of years of living together, and the gut-wrenching pain that then accompanies the eventual un-entwining when one partner leaves the other.

There is no shortage of interpretations to be delved into within Armfield's story, with Leah's POV in particular teeming with layers of emotional implications. The looming dread that infuses her chapters was incredibly effective, casting a pallor of unease over Miri's more grounded but equally haunting chapters. The only real letdown was in the narrative itself, in my opinion: for as much build-up as there is, the 'climax' of the story did not quite pack as great of a punch as I had expected and hoped for. Regardless, Armfield's writing is impossible to feel unaffected by, weaving emotion into the smallest, simplest of moments and infusing the overall narrative with an unspoken grief that left me with an empty ache in my stomach for days after finishing reading it.

I really loved Our Wives Under the Sea, and to be honest it might be my favorite read of the year so far, faults notwithstanding. It tells a truly unique and beautiful story, and Armfield clearly continues to grow as a talent with each novel she releases. I absolutely cannot wait to see what she does next, as it will undoubtedly be well worth reading and exploring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for access to an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a touching, tender book. I was ultimately left with the impression that it should have undergone another round of edits (the ending is so strong and reinforced my vague feeling up until this point that this author is capable of true greatness, which wasn't quite realized in this novel's earlier pages), but I still enjoyed this a lot and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

"Our Wives Under the Sea" feels as though it is half a book. The concept is interesting, but it's as though it is set up and then nothing ever happens. It's an atmospheric tale of love and loss that borders on horror. However, there's little depth otherwise. I feel this may have worked better as a novella or a short story even.
3.25/5