I’ve been hearing more about this speculative horror and I still don’t know how I feel. What did I hear? That it’s speculative? Definitely. Horror? Light horror, more unsettling. And for those afraid of the ocean, this was a TRIP! Keep reading this book review of Our Wives Under the Sea for my full thoughts.
Summary
Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep-sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah is not the same. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has brought part of it back with her, onto dry land and into their home.
Moving through something that only resembles normal life, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had before might be gone. Though Leah is still there, Miri can feel the woman she loves slipping from her grasp.
Review
As someone who is afraid of the ocean, reading Our Wives Under the Sea was a choice. But while it very much is an unsettling book about what we will discover in the depths, it’s also a love story. Isn’t that an interesting combination? At the beginning, in this dual POV story, we see the ways absence has impacted both of them. How they processed the time and the aftermath. Our Wives Under the Sea is character and driven with a steady thrum of suspense. What happened to her under the sea? Can they find their way through?
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Our Wives Under the Sea asks us what would change us so deeply? It’s about all the changes that we can’t ignore and the ones we never notice happening. The trauma of what happened in the past. Listening to the audiobook, I was always intrigued. The character work is tender and intricate. And at the same time, there’s this distinct sense of the madness of the ocean. This is a book I haven’t really stopped thinking about. I really liked the ways the POVs weave around each other and play off the suspense. What is it about this fascination with the unknown? With the deep? The depths of ambition, love, and the ocean.
Find Our Wives Under the Sea on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.