A spoiler-filled review on the haunting debut novel filled with love and loss from author Julia Armfield
Hello and happy Wednesday! There’s a bite in the air and the days are getting shorter as we move further into our Spooky Season. Of course, where I live a “bite” in the air is waking up to 63 degree temps instead of 73. But I’ll take what I can get!
This week I’m going to be reviewing Julia Armfield’s debut novel with the gorgeous cover “Our Wives Under the Sea.” A quick synopsis for you: the story follows Miri and her wife Leah, who has returned home after being presumed dead when a deep sea exploration trip goes awry. Instead of being gone for a few weeks, Leah is stuck under the ocean for six months. Boy howdy, that’s a nightmare.
When Leah is found to be alive, Miri is feeling a huge amalgamation of emotions as she takes her home. However, things aren’t as they seem when Leah is back in the house. She seems… different somehow. She’s lethargic, she doesn’t sleep, and she spends a lot of time in the bathroom running the taps. What happened to her?
This is a hauntingly beautiful tale on love, loss, and what we must do to finally let go.
The writing in this novel is so melodic and elegant. Armfield does a wonderful job jumping between Miri and Leah’s stories; Miri throughout her time after Leah comes back from the ocean, and Leah during her horrific experience in the deep sea submarine with only her two fellow coworkers and the vast, dark ocean. Miri’s story was filled with hopelessness, always wondering what was going on with her wife while struggling to find a way to help her. They try therapy for a short while, but Leah no longer responds to it and it’s a struggle getting her to the therapist’s office because she won’t. Come. Out. Of. The. Bathtub.
Miri is in a heartbreaking situation. She already grieved for her wife when Leah and her team didn’t come back from their undersea exploration. Six months is a long time. For most of those months, Miri held on to hope that Leah was okay. Especially since she would get periodic calls from the “Centre” (where Leah works) saying that the trip has been “delayed” and “everything’s fine” and “don’t worry about your wife even though it’s been several weeks after she was scheduled to be back, hardy har har.” Okay, that last one might be an exaggeration; you get the point.
The confusion, the heartbreak, the grief… it can take a toll on a person. Then to one day suddenly have the love of your life “come back from the dead” would be jarring, yet exhaustingly euphoric. Like all the breath comes out of you in one fell swoop and you feel woozy and lightheaded, but you don’t care because you are so. Damn. Happy.
As time passes after Leah’s return, that euphoria fades away. Leah seems to be slowly deteriorating in front of Miri’s eyes. Armfield does a great job showing this slow progression in a way that is rather eerie. At first it’s just Leah needing to hear the flow of water, then it turns into Leah needing to be in the water, then it needs to be saltwater… you can see where this is going.
The parts that filled my mind’s eye quite well (in a fortunate/unfortunate kind of way) was when Miri realizes that Leah’s skin is… no longer skin, but a sort of smooth, viscous-like, translucent “casing” wrapped around her body. The other scene was when Leah comes out of the bathroom, stares at Miri while a deep, heart-wrenching moan escapes her lips just seconds before her eye fills with water and bursts like a water balloon, the fluid rushing down her face like a crude, misshapen waterfall.
What. The. Hell. That stuck with me for a while. Especially when Armfield wrote a line about Miri bringing her hand to her face to cover her mouth and nose, as if there were a foul smell emanating from the eye socket.
All of this comes to a head when Miri finally realizes what must be done. Leah can no longer survive where Miri is; in the world of the beings who walk the land. Leah needs water like humans need air, she needs a deepwater habitat like a human needs a home. Miri knows what she must do.
With the help of the sister of the woman who went with Leah on the submarine (and therefore understands what’s going on with Leah more than others), Miri takes Leah to the ocean and slowly wades into the water with Leah in her arms. As Miri gets chest deep in the water, the waves knocking her rhythmically around, Miri lets her go and Leah descends into the water, the ocean welcoming her with open arms, as if she merely took a long trip and she’s finally back home.
On top of the themes of loss and grief, there is also a love story woven throughout. Leah and Miri are a beautiful couple whose love grew the longer they knew each other. Which is why the ending was so gut-wrenching. It wasn’t just Miri who had to make the choice to let go, but Leah too. She clung to her love and her desire to live so hard that she was slowly dying in the process. They both clung to what they loved. In the end, however, it was time to let go.
In short form, I loved this book. I felt the crushing claustrophobia when Leah was in the submarine, surrounded by her two coworkers and the eerie unknown of the world in the ocean deep. I felt the haunting grief of Miri when she got her wife back, but not really. I’ve really gotten into books that are more character driven than story driven, so this was a treat to read for Spooky Season. I need to put more strange books on my TBR list – yeah, like that needs to be any bigger.
Let me know your thoughts about this wonderful debut novel! What elements did you enjoy from the book? Are there other books like this that I should check out? Chat with me in the comments below, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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