carbinara's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had went into this with high hopes, then got let down a bit, then left having enjoyed it. An odd process. I had went in expecting horror, not really having read lit fic, so I found the first 150 pages quite slow and tedious. However, once you get past the 150 page mark the plot starts going and I really enjoyed it. While I much preferred Leahs POV to Miri’s, both gave such an insight to these characters and the situation they’re in. I found myself really feeling for both of them by the end. I think the characterisation was well done, although I wish the plot was more neatly wrapped up. That being said, I think that was intentional.
Spoiler
I’m really glad we actually “saw” a sea monster and it wasn’t just left as movement in the darkness
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, and Gore
the_amused_forest_gnome's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
An open-ended and slightly disturbing narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Cursing
Moderate: Death
17nhammad's review
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Very well written and unsettling, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. A harrowing exploration of grief and psychosis.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
addyruth17's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Blood, and Death
_lydlyds's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Dementia
ptara's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Dementia
floatinthevoid's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I feel like I was sinking along with the plot. Julia Armfield is such a skillful writer to have been able writing a debut novel this magnificent. For someone with aphantasia, the writing is so vivid. At times it's calm like the surface of the ocean, other times it's haunting like the mystery of whatever is in the deep sea. I found this book written so beautifully from almost every aspect, only that it didn't hit me like it may hit deep for some. It's more of a sad queer story than it is a submarine horror-focused. But even then Armfield still seamlessly makes it good. This is such an incredible piece of literature.
"Grief is selfish: we cry for ourselves without the person we have lost far more than we cry for the person—but more than that, we cry because it helps. The grief process is also the coping process and if the grief is frozen by ambiguity, by the constant possibility of reversal, then so is the ability to cope."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, and Death
elderwoodreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I really adored this book. I love the extended metaphor for grief and the story telling done by Armfiled. I did find the ending unsatisfying, I wish we even got a little bit of an answer ad to what happened. I can handle somewhat vague endings but this one certainly left a lot to be desired. Other than that 10/10 perfect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Body horror, and Confinement
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent and Death
pushingdessy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I approached Julia Armfield's "Our wives under the sea" as a horror, but it's not.
It does include certain horror elements - the "came back wrong" trope, and allusions to undefined nightmares on the ocean bed. But it doesn't linger on the frightening; rather, they're glimpses to justify the plot and to keep us hooked with a sense of doom and the promise of a reveal. By the end, you're left with a lot of questions that don't have answers.
It's not a story that focuses on the horror, the danger of the one who came back wrong, but on the tragedy of it, the impact on the mundane, which we see through Miri's eyes. On Leah's side, as she narrates what happened in her mission, I was reminded of Mira Grant's "Rolling in the deep"/"Into the drowning deep". But again, that's a horror story; this one, not so much. It's a story specifically about love and grief, about how to grieve a person who isn't technically dead, and about how to let go.
The pacing is slow, but it's a relatively short book and, personally, it still hooked me in. The writing was beautiful without being unbearable purple prose. The ending felt inevitable and fitting, and it worked both ways - as a conclusion to Leah's transformation, but also as the final stage of Miri's grief. It worked as a metaphor for a degenerative disease, which also featured in the story.
While I do wish it'd leaned a bit harder into horror, this was still a beautifully written, thoughtful book about relationships and life.
It does include certain horror elements - the "came back wrong" trope, and allusions to undefined nightmares on the ocean bed. But it doesn't linger on the frightening; rather, they're glimpses to justify the plot and to keep us hooked with a sense of doom and the promise of a reveal. By the end, you're left with a lot of questions that don't have answers.
Spoiler
What was it that Jelka's sister wanted to give Miri? (Was it the figure of the saint Jelka prayed to?) Was the Centre a front? What were they planning to do with that type of research? If the submarine didn't malfunction, what kept them in the water for three extra months?It's not a story that focuses on the horror, the danger of the one who came back wrong, but on the tragedy of it, the impact on the mundane, which we see through Miri's eyes. On Leah's side, as she narrates what happened in her mission, I was reminded of Mira Grant's "Rolling in the deep"/"Into the drowning deep". But again, that's a horror story; this one, not so much. It's a story specifically about love and grief, about how to grieve a person who isn't technically dead, and about how to let go.
The pacing is slow, but it's a relatively short book and, personally, it still hooked me in. The writing was beautiful without being unbearable purple prose. The ending felt inevitable and fitting, and it worked both ways - as a conclusion to Leah's transformation, but also as the final stage of Miri's grief. It worked as a metaphor for a degenerative disease, which also featured in the story.
While I do wish it'd leaned a bit harder into horror, this was still a beautifully written, thoughtful book about relationships and life.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent
victoria_catherine_shaw's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Death of parent