Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is an atmospheric novel from two sides of a relationship under pressure.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book took me on a journey I didn't know I had to take. I loved every second of it. Such an exquisitely written masterpiece

Our Wives Under the Sea is a quiet, pensive but ultimately terrifying novel about love and losing that love.

Miri's wife Leah works for the 'Centre', diving on research expeditions. She often leaves for weeks at a time, until one expedition, where she doesn't return for months, and when she eventually does, things aren't how they used to be. Armfield alternates the narrative, with long winding passages from Miri, reflecting her waiting - waiting for news of her wife, and even once Leah is back, waiting for something to happen, for Leah to properly return, or perhaps to unravel. Interspersed with Miri's narrative are brief interludes from Leah's time aboard the submarine, as the controls fail and she descends with her crewmates, as they survive, trapped, for an immeasurable amount of time.

While the narrative is understated, the content is often disquieting and at times, downright chilling, as we contemplate what lies at the depths of the ocean, not to mention being trapped, or below the sea or the body horror that Armfield employs. The emptiness and mystery of the ocean parallels a number of themes - from God and religion, to dealing with trauma, illness and dementia. The relationship between Miri and Leah is tender but as it is ripped apart, becomes raw, fraught and difficult to watch. Equally, as events unfold, the purpose of Leah's mission and the faceless 'Centre' become an overbearing mystery, with clues and hints at a conspiracy and more sinister purpose.

Armfield's narrative is poetic, with lyrical depictions of the sea, and vast feelings of it's immensity and unknowns, woven alongside acerbic observations on modern and millennial life. The way Armfield weaves familiar tropes into the story means that the end is perhaps unsurprising, however the way in which she utilises these tropes is wholly original. Our Wives Under the Sea is a unique, reflective horror novel, and the unease that the novel inspires will certainly linger.

A slow burn, this book details the story of Miri and Leah, a couple who are recovering from Leah’s return from a submarine trip gone wrong. Miri feels like Leah isn’t quite herself and it takes the course of the book to find out why.

I’d recommend this book to people who are interested in creepy, underwater mysteries, who like queer love stories and who prefer a book if it’s a little bit sad.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

Rounded down from around 3.5 stars ⭐️

Our Wives Under the Sea swaps between the point of view of Miri and her wife Leah. Leah has just returned from a submarine work trip that did not go as expected. But the Leah who returns is a stark contrast to the one who left.

I’m not 100% sure what I’ve just read, which makes this book quite difficult to review. I absolutely loved the unique take and can honestly say I’ve never read anything like this before. It had a horror element and atmosphere that I lapped up. But, I was never fully sure what was going on. Maybe it is just as the story describes it, maybe it’s meant to be confusing and suspended from reality. Or maybe I have missed something. Either way, I love reading something different and I know this haunting storyline will stay with me for a long time.

One of my biggest issues, aside from the general confusion, was that I didn’t connect to either Miri or Leah. This always dampens my enjoyment of a book but especially when books are set from multiple POV’s. That being said, this book kept me turning the pages and although I was confused and unattached, I didn’t want to put it down! The tension created by the submarine trip really sucked me in. I particularly loved Leah’s chapters because they had a dark and creepy atmosphere. I could really picture myself trapped in the submarine. Overall, I cannot wait to see what this author does next as this was a promising debut novel.

I recommend this for fans of horror but please be prepared for quite an unusual read! I want to thank Netgalley, Pan Macmillan (Picador) and Julia Armfield for allowing me to read this book and give my personal thoughts.

I really love this writer. She has an unusual turn of phrase. Great characterisation, funny dialogue, and a brilliant premise. This is going to be a huge hit.

A strange book about Leah who went on an under water mission and came back as a different person and her wife Leah who remembers the memories of their shared life and love and thinks about how Leah has changed. Lots of water references, grief, listening to water sounds. I love Armfield's short stories and her prose is wonderful. This, however, is a novel. I kept feeling sad. But also I was jolted to the other POV frequently and abruptly. I kind of felt unsure what I was supposed to be feeling vs what I expected. So I'd say, this book would feel different according to the kind of reader you are.

I am probably a bit late to give feedback on this one! This is probably the most original and weirdest books I have read for a while. It actually took me a long time to finish it - I had to leave it for long periods of time because it was just a bit too heavy. Really beautiful though, and haunting. What an incredible writer!

This book is quite unlike anything I've ever read - in a good way. It's weird and unnerving, and keeps you in its hold.

Miri is on land, waiting for her wife Leah to resurface from a research trip under the ocean... yet there are some unexpected delays and Miri's not told what the situation is. The story is told in two threads from the perspective of each wife, Miri's worry and waiting, Leah's situation beneath the water.

When Leah eventually returns, this is where the weirdness sets in, and the story becomes surreal and disturbing.

So good to read something really new.

I feel, at the end of this book, as though I've been allowed to finally to come up for air. The skill and the tightness of the writing are claustrophobic & create such a sense of otherness I was only able to read this with ambient noise, or, ironically, the white noise of the fan.

The main characters, Miri & Leah, remain just out of focus. This is a clever trick because it allows the reader to see themselves within the story. The story is far fetched, think The Abyss, or The Deep, or your own generalised fear of small spaces where you can be trapped, but believable.

#OurWivesUnderTheSea by #JuliaArmfield has left me stunned & longing for the ocean. For me, this book speaks to some primal instinct where to be near the water, to hear the waves & see the horizon is vital.

This book deals with relationships, friendships, grief, & in a way that you find yourself processing your own life through the words. This booking is stunning because it is immense & simple, brutal but life affirming. I'll be watching now for more from Armfield.

I really enjoyed this overall. This had a good balance between the present-day setting and the sections where the mission was stranded. The writing had a fluidity which helped add the watery feeling to it. I really liked both Miri and Leah as characters and found them really exciting to follow as they had very different paths and perspectives in the story. The way the plot progressed was done well and the flashbacks really helped cement the present-day drama and why that was happening. The ending was done beautifully and it was the perfect way to end it.

I personally found this book very dull and never felt it gave me any reason to care about the boring relationship between the two protagonists. However I am happy to accept that I'm in a minority here as I have already heard lots of people talking about and asking for this book, so I have no doubt it will easily find its audience (and don't feel too bad about being a rare dissenting voice!)

‘Our wives under the sea’ is a story unlike anything I’ve ever read and although it reads as an almost serene novel it is still beautifully written and remains a fulfilling story.
The plot centers on Leah’s arrival home to her wife, Miri, after a deep sea expedition went wrong. The trauma that Leah experienced during her time in the water is evident from the first day home and although she wants to help, Miri feels her wife slipping away from who she used to be. As the story progresses her symptoms become more intense and obscure and Miri is at a loss as to how she can help.
I was really drawn into the story and the way Armfield constructed the novel as a whole, on top of intricate character details. I thought the build up was really well done and had some really beautiful, poetic moments amongst the horror elements of the novel. ‘Our wives’ is one of those stories that really stays with you and makes you think long after you’re finished. Super original and enthralling; I loved it.

Ok, I liked the suspense of being underwater and not knowing what’s out there (who’s not terrified of the sea!!) and I felt the grief of Miri at the end of the book….but a lot of this book was unnecessary and the pace was quite slow.

This is one of the best books I've read all year, a story about love, grief and loss. The writing was beautiful, and heartbreaking and I loved the horror and otherworldly elements of the story. I will read whatever Julia Armfield writes next.

One of my favourite books of the year so far. Weird, beautiful, sad, and the underwater sections were full of menace and foreboding. Loved it.

This is an intoxicating, atmospheric tale of a married couple Leah and Miri. Each telling their experience via alternating chapters.
Leah survives a deep diving mission that goes wrong. She quietly takes us through what went on, whilst Miri reflects on how they met, that they enjoyed simple time together watching films, reflecting also how they have grown apart. Whilst they clearly still care for each other Leah is changed by the mission.
There are wonderful descriptors about the ocean, how it is in some ways haunted, how it can act as a massive trap that were a joy to read. The situ on the deep diving vessel conveys a compelling sense of entrapment and altered psychological response. There is a hint of mermaid changeling effect that may or may not be quite so.
The loyalty and protectiveness of Miri is incredibly tender and accepting. I think I would have freaked out had this been me, seeking early medical attention, but clearly this would have ruined the magical essence that this story adeptly captured.
The ending was evocatively sad, perhaps a little underwhelming and predictable but poignant. Both characters, whilst slightly disconnected from people and life around them, were still seemingly kind and sincere and intriguing to learn about. I would have liked the backdrop about the other female character on the vessel and her sister’s insights on what happened to have been fleshed out a bit as this just felt incomplete. All in all though, a very immersive and intimate read that by its quirkiness is compelling. Impressive that this is debut novel also.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a beautiful, devastating and terrifying study of human connection and grief. When Leah returns from a disastrous submarine trip that trapped her at the bottom of the sea for months, Miri’s relief and trepidation are having her wife back is breathtakingly tangible. But something is very, very wrong with Leah and what unfolds is both a chilling horror story and Miri’s meditation on love, loss and what she stands to further lose. The characters are flawed and very real, their emotions tangible and the horror at the heart of this story is vivid without ever becoming overwrought or unlikely. I was gripped by Armfield’s beautifully descriptive writing and look forward to reading more from this talented new author.

Very very beautiful. A stunning story of trauma and its aftermath. I was a bit disappointed that we never found out the purpose of the 'research trip', but this was not essential to the plot.

I can't wait for everyone to read this beauty!

I remember reading it in a day. Greedily.
Incredibly atmospheric and eerie, the feelings of claustrophobia enhanced by real world anxiety.

We follow the disintegration of a relationship, and the author very cleverly draws comparisons between this and the physical changes wrought by a deep sea dive gone wrong. I watched Vigil around the time I read this, and the underwater sounds, and weight of the crushing ocean pressure added an additional sensory element to my reading.

The relationship flashbacks were intense, and left me heartbroken.

Highly recommend this beautiful heady portrayal of love, evolution and loss💔