A review by andrewhatesham
Our Wives Under the Sea, by Julia Armfield

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0


I used to think there was such a thing as emptiness, that there were places in the world one could go and be alone. This, I think, is still true, but the error in my reasoning was to assume that alone was somewhere you could go, rather than somewhere you had to be left.

This one lives up to the hype.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a grotesquely beautiful exploration of grief in its many shapes and forms, both figurative and literal. The writing style is amazing and the plot is refreshingly unique. Some of the body horror did get to me, but overall the horror aspect is much more psychological and emotional. I still don't know what to make of the ending, but I think that's the way it's supposed to be. Uncertainty is scary.

Don't go into this expecting terrifying scenes and mind shattering plot twists because it's not that type of book. This is the type of book that can have you reading the same passage over and over again, lingering on certain words; a book to get comfortable in despite the discomfort. 
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