Our Wives Under the Sea went by quickly in a rush of shimmery green in spite of the fact that much of what might be called plot has happened before the book begins. Leah is a research scientist who was meant to be submerged with her crew for three weeks. After six months submerged, she returned home unrecognizable to her wife, Miri, who is stalled, trying to figure out how to help her wife and how to move forward with their lives.

This novel is emotionally difficult, but it’s a wonderful companion for readers exhausted by the pandemic who may still feel alone in the middle of a global event. There are many ways to grieve, and for those who turn to novels, this one is a beacon.

What a strange little story. We have the "current time" with our narrator Miri trying to adjust to life after her wife, Leah, returns from a deep-sea submarine expedition. We also have Leah during the before time at sea as her research trip goes awry.

When Leah returns obsessed with running water and nothing like her former self Miri struggles. Trying to get in touch with the center that sent the expedition and listening to the neighbors tv and the running water she isn't sure where to go from here. We see flashbacks of their life before as she tries to figure out how to get back to that, or if that is no longer an option. We see Miri face her grief while Leah is gone too long at the possibility of losing Leah. We see her struggle with her grief when even when Leah is back physically she is not the same person who left.

Under the sea we see Leah struggle, alongside her two crewmates to keep sane and keep their hopes up for a return home. The fight for their sanity wars against the constant sounds of the ocean, the sounds in their head, and the black abyss outside that, for some reason, strangely does not seem to contain any life at all.

This one will not be for everyone. If you want a clear cut story with nice clean endings and to be able to solidly say "this is about...." then this might not be it for you. If you are willing to take a journey through a story that will leave you questioning what it was exactly you just read, then pick this up and enjoy the ride.

I highly recommend the audio version of this one as the narration was superb!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this one.

Creepy and atmospheric, Our Wives Under the Sea explores what happens when the person you're supposed to know the best begins to change. I really enjoyed this novel's exploration of grief and love. Definitely a moody and eerie read, for anyone that likes interesting, complex sapphic characters and body horror. I really enjoyed the narration here as well, as it added a great deal to the duel POV.

this was such an incredible and atmospheric book. absolutely haunting. i will be thinking about this for a long time.

Alternating between the perspectives of spouses Leah and Miri, this lyrical novel explores the relationship between two women who are together again after a long absence, and the gulf that is still between them. Leah is a marine biologist whose recent submarine mission experienced something catastrophic. She returns to Miri totally changed, truly a shell of her former self. Through the book, we learn about both women’s pasts—together and apart—while witnessing something otherworldly, almost Gothic, dissolve them. I was transfixed by this story and mesmerized by Armfield’s prose. This is a beautiful book inside and out, and I think it’s going to be a new favorite for many readers.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the audiobook ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Armfield writes about love, loss, and grief in this novel, which are all themes I like reading about, especially in nonfiction works. I was really excited about this book, and while their were some parts I liked (I enjoyed the parts that really focused on Miri’s grief and loneliness), I was pretty disappointed overall. Like the other reviews on Goodreads seem to say, the prose was really pretty and captivating, but the actual story fell flat for me. There were parts that felt too repetitive and the whole book seemed to work up to an ending that was underwhelming and unsatisfying.

I think there was a lot more room for Armfield to explore the couple's dissolving relationship and I spent a lot of the first half of the book wondering why the two main characters were not in therapy (this wasn’t addressed until halfway through).

Ultimately, this book was very atmospheric but not enough for me personally in terms of content. The voice actresses did an amazing job though!
2.5 stars.
But 5 star narration!

OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA
by Julia Armfield

I’ve read Julia Armfield before but did not connect with the material quite the same as I did with Our Wives Under The Sea.

In this one we’re following Leah and Miri in alternating povs. Leah and Miri are married and Leah has just returned from the sea on a voyage that lasts longer in duration than expected.

When Leah returns all is not as it was with her and Miri sets out on an emotional journey of finding the parts of Leah that never came home.

I found this book to be interesting in that I enjoyed it immensely but only in small pieces. Some of the visuals from Leah’s literal and figurative transformation will haunt me and I’ll think of the taste of salt water differently forever.

However, as a whole it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Perhaps it was in how quiet its delivery was. Whispering where I wanted screams. Leaving things up for interpretation that I wanted declared.

I recommend this to readers looking for a layered experience and those who are always seeking further meaning.

This one is for you!

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook copy!

OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA…⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for a digital audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like it so bad.

Unfortunately, I found it terribly boring. I have a really hard time with “sapphic” stories when it seems like the (unlikeable) characters don’t even seem to like each other.

The story is about two women in a partnership, one of them disappeared for several months on a deep sea expedition, nearly died, and came back changed. The story doesn’t follow any of the exciting parts, it mostly focuses on the bickering between the two women. Which is another reason I have a hard time with the “sapphic” descriptor. Usually sapphic means love? wlw? no?

The love we see here doesn’t interest me. It’s more like co-dependency.

As for the audio narration, I think the voice actors did the best they could. It was a monotone story, they gave a monotone performance. I would have fallen asleep if I wasn’t punching air.

I would recommend this to fans of A23 films, it has the same kind of vibe. That vibe just isn’t for me.

Sorry to say I DNF’d at 88%

Beautifully written and vaguely unsettling, this is the perfect example of “quiet horror”. Much of the horror elements are subtle and compounded by Miri’s anxiety and hypochondria, her tendency towards panic and spiraling and “worst case scenario” as the actual worst case is something she can’t comprehend.

And then there are Leah’s sections which actually describe the claustrophobia, the combination of being fascinated and terrified by the unknown. We get to see the acute fear even though nothing is actually happening. I always love claustrophobia in my horror (even though I don’t think I would do well in an actual claustrophobic situation).

As Leah’s section comes to a head, Miri’s section peters out into not a whole lot. So you’re left feeling rather unresolved. But I think this fits too (even though it’s not my favorite)

I first got this on my radar because of the UK cover of the book. Even though the US cover doesn't feel as attractive, this book was great on audio the dual narrators Annabel Baldwin & Robyn Holdaway really worked well.

It outlines the relationship between Miri and Leah. Miri thinks she's got her wife Leah back after a deep-sea mission that lasts a lot longer than planned. But something has happened in the vessel and things aren't right with Leah.
The book is told through both Leah and Miri's POV, alternating between current time and memories of their relationship, building up to what happened in the vessel.

There are tags suggesting horror, thriller etc. But to me this a story of a marriage. It's intimate and atmospheric. Parts of it are cold, parts of it are sad. But that portrays what the characters are feeling so well. What Leah experiences is very eerie. The ending does leave things hanging and even though I like tidy and spelled out endings, I didn't mind the ending of this one.

Thank you Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a little too out there for me. I struggled to connect to the characters or the story. Loved the cover though! Sadly a DNF at 25%. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I can't stop thinking about this book! Our Wives Under the Sea is really good literary horror with some body horror thrown in. It's not so much scary, as unsettling, with the mystery of Leah's disappearance, reappearance, and transformation. The slow unravelling of Leah's memories of being under the sea works really well and slowly amps up the claustrophobia, while the present day scenes of Miri trying to take care of Leah build to a dreadful inevitability. By the end, I was genuinely rooting for these two to make it, despite everything against them.
I highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrators really give the characters their own vibe, and made the story easier to follow.

I listened to Our Wives Under the Sea over a couple of days because I was immediately drawn into the lives of the dual narrators, Miri and Leah. A lot of times, when this happens, it's because I need to know what happens next. This went deeper. I needed to know what they were thinking, what led them to the choices they made. Why? How?

The novel is about a submarine expedition gone wrong, a marriage cracking under the strain, and how when the central relationship in your life cracks, the others also begin to feel that pressure.

The audio narration is great. Two narrators alternate so I was never confused about whose head I was in. The tension that's rising, despite the characters' desire to ignore it was perfectly communicated through tone and cadence. Sometimes literary fiction on audio with alternating perspectives is hard on audio but not this time.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a psychological thriller with depth and great writing. The sea was a character--a mysterious, hypnotic, unknowable character. Both the style and plot reminded me of The Need and The Harpy, two books I think about all the time.

I was completely pulled under by this book in the best ways...pun intended.

Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced reader copy

A novel about two women descending into hell, and one of them never wants to get out of the bath.

This book goes through grieving the loss of someone while they are still in your life; while knowing the end is near.

This was more heartbreaking than horror for me.

"Our Wives Under the Sea" by Julia Armfield is a story about love, grief, and loss!

Miri's marine biologist wife, Leah, is finally coming home after six months at sea. A submariner exploratory mission that should have taken three weeks, ends in a mysterious disaster without meaningful communication from the 'Centre' for months. Miri still has questions that remain unanswered by Leah's employer.

Miri and Leah live together in the same flat but in different spaces now. Miri eats alone in the kitchen and sleeps alone in the spare bedroom. Leah spends a great deal of time locked in the bathroom running water from both taps. She doesn't eat but craves copious amounts of salted water.

Miri notices the differences in Leah. She sees Leah doing these alarmingly odd things and how her body is physically changing. Leah seems to be fading away. Is Miri different now, too?

I will say, and I'm sure about this, I have not ever read anything quite like this book before. It's beautifully written, oddly slow, a bit repetitive, thoughtful, and deeply sad. It's the kind of book that causes you to dig deep within and continue to think about it for a long time afterwards.

The alternating chapters tell the story via the first-person voices of both Miri and Leah. The story travels back into the memories of their relationship, with snippets of what happens under the sea, mingled with the current timeline once Leah is back home.

I read the digital copy and listened to the audiobook choosing to switch back and forth between the two short formats. The audiobook has two narrators, Annabel Baldwin & Robyn Holdaway, which gives each of the main character's a unique voice. I believe this is what gives listening a more emotional experience. With the digital copy, the visual experience of reading the printed word is an experience I will always find comforting!

I enjoy reading books that are different and this creative and beautifully writing debut novel hits that mark for me. It's a story that I continue to think about and dissect over and over again. Like Leah, it keeps changing. It's that kind of story for me. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Flatiron Books, Dreamscape Media and Julia Armfield for a free ARC and ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a very moving blend of literary fiction and horror. I have seen this book likened to Annihilation which I think it’s a great comparison.

Miri’s wife Leah leaves with her 3-man crew on a deep-sea mission that was intended to be three weeks long. Their submarine loses power once it rests on the ocean floor in the darkest depths of the sea where sea life is still a mystery. After six months they mysteriously manage to rise from the deep, and the person who comes back to Miri is not the Leah she remembers.

I have absolutely no idea how to put this book into a box. It is an incredibly unique book and style. The writing has a poetic, almost dreamlike quality and flips frequently between Leah and Miri’s points of view and past and present. Leah’s chapters detail her experience deep in the sea, while Miri’s switch between present day when Leah has returned and the past, when they were falling in love. This book is a beautiful testament about love and what makes one fall in love with another. It also manages to simultaneously be eerie and mystifying and horrifying and comes to a conclusion that is highly left up for interpretation.

I would highly recommend the audiobook version of this, both narrators were fantastic and really gave an amazing rhythm and feel to the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron for the ARC Audiobook!

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

Listened to the audiobook.

One of the best books I've read in a long while.

“Our Wives Under the Sea” by Julia Armfield is the sapphic, literary horror(ish) novel I’ve been waiting for. A tender portrayal of two women suffering under the weight of “what happened” when Leah, was on a mission, under the sea, and cannot speak to her partner, Miri, when she returns. I’ve heard this compared to “Annihilation” by Jeff VanderMeer… and I do “get” that, but this is unique and sensitive in a way that the comparison omits.

This is haunting, both in the prose as well as the subject matter. The relationship, as well as the submarine where Leah was studying, are claustrophobic. Once this couple was happy, moving through life without a sense of urgency, knowing each other more with time, but when Leah comes back an is changed, it burdens both women with their own struggle. This is about trauma and the way we cope, or fail to cope. It’s about the ways we feel when those around us struggle. The fear, confusion, frustration and helplessness that makes it hard to go on. Both women struggle inwardly to make sense of the way things are. Their love, however strong or real, is not always adequate.

Julia Armfield navigates these tricky themes with such a sensitivity and care. Seeing these women do what they can to process while remaining aware, on some level, of the other is heartbreaking. Ultimately how can you help what you do not understand, and how do you know if you’re doing the right thing, and does it matter — does simply being there mean the most.

I was able to listen to this audiobook thanks to Netgalley, and what an experience. The narrator’s voice is as haunting as the prose and setting and pairs well with the emotional and layered story. This would be a great atmospheric read that has been greatly enhanced via audio. WOW!

Stunning. I know this will be fiercely loved by a niche audience but i feel that the themes and the imagery, the introspection and beauty, could be appreciated by a much broader audience. This is Sapphic Literary first, and the horror is vessel - the trip beneath the see, and all that happens, a vessel for an important story of human connection and trauma.

Pros: I went into reading this book knowing nothing about it except Annie B. Jones of the From the Front Porch Podcast posted about how much she liked it, and I trust her taste in books! This book was unlike any book I’ve read before (except maybe Kafka’s The Metamorphosis), and I’m not sure how to categorize it. Although not a thriller, it is unsettling, and the unknowns in the plot kept me turning the pages for more information. I read it in one sitting!

I listened to this book on audio and thought it was great in that format.

Cons: It took be a bit of time to figure out what was going on in this book. I thought that was going to be a con, but it ended up being a pro because it made the read more compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Dreamscape Media for gifting me an audio ARC of this intriguing book by Julia Armfield, hauntingly narrated by Annabel Baldwin & Robyn Holdaway- 3.5 stars rounded up!

Leah is a marine biologist and left for an expedition. There were issues and the submarine sank to the bottom of the sea. When she finally resurfaces and returns home, wife Miri knows that something is badly wrong. Leah is physically ill, barely eats and spends all her time in the bathroom, with taps constantly running. Miri is desperate for answers.

Told in alternate POV and timelines - Leah during her expedition and Miri at home. The tone of the writing took on a Gothic flair and there was an underlying creepy feeling throughout. The narrators' voices were perfect for this writing style as well. But although it was short, I felt that the book dragged for me and I couldn't get too invested. Loved the creepy ending though!