Scan barcode
A review by luluwoohoo
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield
☀️☀️☀️☀️
This hypnotic, mysterious and heartfelt story examines grief and loss in a truly unique fashion, mirroring films like 'Arrival' and 'Midnight Special' in tone and scope.
The blending of what is ostensibly a horror into something much softer and more romantic was not something I expected, but I found myself enjoying the journey. Though none of the questions I had at the start of my read were answered, I'm not as frustrated as I would have imagined by this fact - the lens through which we view it is via the relationship between Miri and Leah, so the focus remaining there felt appropriate.
I would have liked a clearer distinction between the POVs of the main characters in terms of the writing style, but I liked the alternate timelines playing out as they did. Miri's apathy towards the inevitable decline of Leah was both disappointing and somehow understandable given the outlandish circumstances, and the slow, drawn out loss of her was handled well.
At times I was struck by the beauty of Armfield's prose, but in others I was bothered by the overuse of water imagery or teeth/mouth imagery.
For a debut novel I am impressed by the various genres Armfield managed to weave together coherently. This is definitely a niche story, but one that certainly appealed to me.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
This hypnotic, mysterious and heartfelt story examines grief and loss in a truly unique fashion, mirroring films like 'Arrival' and 'Midnight Special' in tone and scope.
The blending of what is ostensibly a horror into something much softer and more romantic was not something I expected, but I found myself enjoying the journey. Though none of the questions I had at the start of my read were answered, I'm not as frustrated as I would have imagined by this fact - the lens through which we view it is via the relationship between Miri and Leah, so the focus remaining there felt appropriate.
I would have liked a clearer distinction between the POVs of the main characters in terms of the writing style, but I liked the alternate timelines playing out as they did. Miri's apathy towards the inevitable decline of Leah was both disappointing and somehow understandable given the outlandish circumstances, and the slow, drawn out loss of her was handled well.
At times I was struck by the beauty of Armfield's prose, but in others I was bothered by the overuse of water imagery or teeth/mouth imagery.
For a debut novel I am impressed by the various genres Armfield managed to weave together coherently. This is definitely a niche story, but one that certainly appealed to me.
"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 still think, is 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."