znvisser's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This was a beautiful, short story that was both very real and human, and very weird, and I loved it for both. Armfield did a great job of showing all the small pieces of a close relationship, from the gestures and memories to how togetherness evolves. I loved how you get to know Leah and Miri through their accumulation of experiences; how after meeting, they weave together into a new, shared entity (whether physically together or not) which is lost again when Leah returns, for which reason you really live through Miri’s loss. Meanwhile, Leah’s backstory strangely made me wonder whether her experience under the sea changed her that much or that it somehow helped her finally becoming what she was meant to be all along. (Also brilliant book cover)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Terminal illness
axel_p's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Grief, Confinement, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Suicide, Terminal illness, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Vomit
erdbeerelias's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really loved the way it’s written, especially the recalling of memories by both characters. It took me some time to get into it but by the time I fully understood that it’s like their journals I was okay with not knowing everything that happens.
Still there were some things in the communication of the characters that annoyed me.
Still there were some things in the communication of the characters that annoyed me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide and Chronic illness
meremeth's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, Death, and Confinement
jess_vitale's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
Spoiler
Mysterious and somewhat frustrating in the end. I preferred to read Leah's chapters for the plot moving forward, but the juxtaposition with Miri's story made it more interesting and provided wider context for both. I found the writing style very effective at immersing you in the feeling and atmosphere of both points of view, but the claustrophobic, isolated, and haunting experience in the submarine came through particularly well.I'm not sure how this book could have ended in a satisfying manner but ultimately I did not find it to be so. I never understood what happened to them under the sea, and would have preferred it without the giant creature at the end which seemed like a partial attempt at an answer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide
regvegreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Death of parent
peggy_racham's review against another edition
4.25
"But what is grief if not love persevering?"
This isn't a horror story, this is a love story and a story about the sea. As such it was very beautiful and haunting.
This isn't a horror story, this is a love story and a story about the sea. As such it was very beautiful and haunting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Medical trauma, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide
maeverose's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
I’m unsure how I feel about this yet.
TL;DR: As other people have said, this isn’t so much horror as a book about grief with horror sprinkled throughout. I was interested to see what would happen the whole way through and I do tend to like books about grief, but in the end am left feeling overall ‘meh’ about the book.
A note on the horror elements for those worried about it:
If you’re especially bothered by body horror, gore, or themes of going insane I would go in prepared for that if you plan on reading it. I’m not a horror reader and I dislike reading those themes, but most of this book was fine for me (check my content warnings section for which parts to skip if you also dislike these themes but want to read anyway. You can’t really skip the ‘going insane’ stuff unless you just don’t read any of Leah’s chapters, but you’d be missing out on some parts of the story then). That being said, you know what your own limits are best. I have a moderate tolerance for gore in books and I’m rarely bothered by non-gory body horror. If you have a low tolerance overall, I’d probably skip it.
Now on to my thoughts:
(Vague/minor plot spoilers, but not really since this is not a plot-focused book)
I liked the way the Centre was depicted as this mysterious corporate entity, and wish that was explored more, as well as. I get that the horror and mystery elements aren’t the focus, the focus is on Miri’s grief, with the horror elements being a metaphorical parallel to losing a loved one to illness. But it’s left somewhat unclear whether or not it’s also actually happening. If it is actually happening, then that leaves me a bit frustrated with how Miri acted. She seemed so uninterested in finding answers or taking any sort of legal action against the Centre. At no point does the idea even come up to do that, and that seems so ridiculous to me given everything they kept quiet about and the entire way they acted and operated. If I were Miri I’d be pissed at them. I’d be demanding answers. She pretty much gave up after they stopped responding to her calls. I didn’t understand why she never took Leah to a doctor, especially given how much she obviously cares about her, why wasn’t she doing everything she could to help her? In general Miri seemed much more focused on her own grief rather than being concerned for her wife who clearly went through an extremely traumatic experience. Again, if none of it is really real then it makes sense but with it being somewhat left up to interpretation, it was frustrating.
On that note, I’ll end with some quotes about grieving missing loved ones that I liked:
“-grieving was complicated by lack of certainty, that the hope inherent in a missing loved one was also a species of curse.”
“In almost every case, the sense of loss was convoluted by an ache of possibility, by the almost-but-not-quite-negligible hope of reprieve.”
“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.”
TL;DR: As other people have said, this isn’t so much horror as a book about grief with horror sprinkled throughout. I was interested to see what would happen the whole way through and I do tend to like books about grief, but in the end am left feeling overall ‘meh’ about the book.
A note on the horror elements for those worried about it:
If you’re especially bothered by body horror, gore, or themes of going insane I would go in prepared for that if you plan on reading it. I’m not a horror reader and I dislike reading those themes, but most of this book was fine for me (check my content warnings section for which parts to skip if you also dislike these themes but want to read anyway. You can’t really skip the ‘going insane’ stuff unless you just don’t read any of Leah’s chapters, but you’d be missing out on some parts of the story then). That being said, you know what your own limits are best. I have a moderate tolerance for gore in books and I’m rarely bothered by non-gory body horror. If you have a low tolerance overall, I’d probably skip it.
Now on to my thoughts:
(Vague/minor plot spoilers, but not really since this is not a plot-focused book)
I liked the way the Centre was depicted as this mysterious corporate entity, and wish that was explored more, as well as
Spoiler
the whole sea creature thingSpoiler
When Juna met up with Miri and tried to explain what she found out and Miri cut her off and left, I was so annoyed. She seemed so uninterested in what Juna had to say and I would be the exact opposite. She didn’t seem at all shocked to learn that someone died on the same trip her wife was on…On that note, I’ll end with some quotes about grieving missing loved ones that I liked:
“-grieving was complicated by lack of certainty, that the hope inherent in a missing loved one was also a species of curse.”
“In almost every case, the sense of loss was convoluted by an ache of possibility, by the almost-but-not-quite-negligible hope of reprieve.”
“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
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Terminal illness, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, and Dementia
Moderate: Sexual content, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Vomit, Cancer, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Lesbophobia and Fatphobia
There are depictions of people gradually losing their mind in confinement,Spoiler
resulting in a suicide for one of them.isabezza's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
One of the most unique and beautifully written books I have read in 2023 so far. Packed with a science fiction mystery akin to Kazuo Ishiguro, and a realistic romance akin to David Nichols, this book is a compact study of greif which left me streaming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Suicide, and Death
sivujenhavinaa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent