Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield | Book Review

Introduction

What happens when the woman she loves returns from the depths of the ocean fundamentally changed? Julia Armfield’s haunting debut novel, Our Wives Under the Sea, plunges readers into a gothic tale that explores the terrifying space between love and loss. This 2022 release presents a story that’s part body horror, part tender romance, and entirely unforgettable.

Armfield crafts a narrative that follows Miri and Leah, a married lesbian couple whose relationship becomes the emotional anchor in a story about transformation, grief, and letting go. Readers can expect a watery exploration of themes that blur the lines between science fiction, horror novel, and literary fiction, all wrapped in prose as deep and mysterious as the sea itself.

About the Author: Julia Armfield

Julia Armfield has established herself as a distinctive voice in contemporary fiction, particularly known for her collection Salt Slow and her ability to weave mythological elements with modern storytelling. Her work consistently explores themes of transformation and return, queer relationships, and the uncanny nature of the human body.

Armfield’s literary style draws heavily from gothic traditions while incorporating elements of alternate reality and speculative fiction. Her recurring themes often center on the fluidity of identity, the mystery of intimate relationships, and the ways our bodies can become foreign to us and those we love.

Synopsis of Our Wives Under the Sea (Spoiler-Free)

The story centers on Miri and Leah’s relationship, which faces an unprecedented test when Leah, a marine biologist, embarks on a deep-sea mission that goes catastrophically wrong. What should have been a routine submarine expedition to the sea floor becomes something far more sinister when the team finds themselves stranded on the bottom of the ocean.

When Leah finally returns after months of being presumed lost in space beneath the waves, Miri discovers that her wife has brought something back with her—something that makes her increasingly unknowable. The deep, deep sea has left its mark, and Leah’s return brings with it questions about identity, love, and what it means to truly know another person.

The undersea expedition serves as both a literal plot device and a metaphor for the depths of grief and transformation. Armfield creates an atmosphere where the line between the marine biologist’s wife, Miri thought she knew and the creature that returns becomes increasingly blurred.

Themes & Symbolism

Love, Grief, and Intimacy

At its core, this is a story about losing someone while they’re still physically present. Miri finds herself watching as the version of Leah she loves seems to slip away, replaced by something that looks like her wife but feels fundamentally different. The novel explores how grief can begin even before death, and how love persists even when the beloved becomes a stranger.

The Ocean as Metaphor

The deep sea serves as a powerful symbol for the unknowable depths of human experience. Just as the ocean’s depths remain largely unexplored, so too do the depths of our relationships and our own psyches. The saltwater environment becomes a space of transformation where normal rules don’t apply.

Queerness and Identity

Armfield presents Miri and Leah as a complex married lesbian couple whose love story forms the emotional foundation of the narrative. The novel explores how queer love exists within and against various forms of transformation and change.

Human Fragility and the Uncanny

The body horror elements of the novel highlight how our physical forms can become foreign to us. Leah’s transformation serves as an extreme example of how our bodies can creep beyond our control and understanding.

Characters & Relationships

Miri: The Devoted Partner

Miri serves as our primary narrator, offering readers an intimate window into the experience of reading her wife’s transformation. Her voice carries the weight of love, confusion, and growing dread as she watches Leah change in ways she cannot understand or stop.

Leah: The Transformed

Leah, the marine biologist, returns from her deep-sea expedition fundamentally altered. Armfield skillfully portrays her transformation as both subtle and profound, making her increasingly alien while retaining traces of the woman Miri fell in love with.

The Relationship Dynamic

Their love story functions as a kind of Orpheus story—a tale of descent, loss, and the painful recognition that some journeys change us beyond recognition. The couple’s dynamic shifts from intimate familiarity to something approaching hypochondria as Miri becomes obsessed with monitoring Leah’s changes.

Supporting Characters

Friend Carmen and other supporting characters provide grounding points in the narrative, offering perspectives on the couple’s relationship and serving as witnesses to the changes occurring within their domestic space.

Writing Style & Narrative Structure

Julia Armfield’s prose is notably lyrical and atmospheric, creating a watery quality that mirrors the novel’s oceanic themes. Her writing style combines the precision of literary fiction with the unsettling atmosphere of Gothic horror.

The narrative structure moves between timelines, alternating between Miri’s present-day observations and glimpses of what Leah and her team were studying before they were stranded. This dual approach allows readers to piece together the mystery while experiencing Miri’s growing unease in real time.

Armfield excels at sensory detail, particularly in scenes involving water. Whether describing a simple bath or the depths of the ocean, her imagery creates an immersive experience that makes readers feel the weight and presence of water throughout the narrative.

Emotional & Reading Experience

Reading Our Wives Under the Sea is an immersive experience that builds tension slowly and deliberately. The pacing mirrors the gradual nature of Leah’s transformation, creating a sense of creeping dread that permeates even the most tender moments between the couple.

The novel’s atmosphere is both intimate and vast, focusing on the small domestic details of Miri and Leah’s relationship while maintaining awareness of the incomprehensible depths from which Leah has returned. The watery quality of the prose creates a sense of being submerged, appropriate for a story about deep-sea mysteries.

Standout moments often involve the intersection of the ordinary and the strange—moments when Leah’s otherness becomes most apparent in familiar settings, creating a profound sense of the uncanny that slips from her grasp despite Miri’s desperate attempts to hold on.

Adaptations & Reception

Since its publication in 2022, Our Wives Under the Sea has received significant critical attention and praise. The novel has been featured in numerous reviews of books publications and has garnered recognition for its unique blend of speculative elements with literary fiction.

Critics have particularly praised Armfield’s ability to create genuine emotional stakes within a fantastical premise, and the novel’s exploration of queer relationships has been noted as both authentic and innovative within the gothic novel tradition.

Final Verdict

Our Wives Under the Sea will appeal most strongly to readers who appreciate literary fiction with speculative elements, particularly those drawn to gothic atmospheres and unconventional love stories. The novel succeeds brilliantly as both a meditation on love and loss and as a work of subtle horror.

Strengths include Armfield’s beautiful prose, the authentic portrayal of the central relationship, and the novel’s ability to maintain mystery without sacrificing emotional truth. The sea creature elements are handled with restraint, focusing more on psychological impact than explicit body horror.

The novel’s exploration of what it means to love someone who has fundamentally changed makes it particularly relevant for readers interested in stories about long-term relationships, caregiving, and the ways trauma can alter us.

Rating: ★★★★☆

This debut novel establishes Julia Armfield as a significant voice in contemporary fiction, successfully blending genre elements with literary depth to create something uniquely haunting and beautiful.

FAQs about Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

1. What genre is Our Wives Under the Sea?

The novel blends literary fiction with gothic horror and speculative elements, creating a unique reading experience that defies simple categorization.

2. Is it more horror, romance, or literary fiction?

While it contains body horror elements, the novel is primarily a literary exploration of love and loss, with the romance between Miri and Leah serving as the emotional core.

3. Does the book contain spoilers about the ending?

This review avoids major spoilers while discussing the novel’s themes and atmosphere. The mystery elements remain intact for new readers.

4. Is it similar to Julia Armfield’s other work (Salt Slow)?

Yes, Our Wives Under the Sea shares thematic DNA with Salt Slow, particularly in its exploration of transformation, myth, and the uncanny nature of intimate relationships.

5. Is Our Wives Under the Sea suitable for book clubs?

Absolutely. The novel’s rich themes, complex characters, and blend of genres provide excellent discussion material for book clubs interested in contemporary literary fiction.

6. Where can I buy the book?

Our Wives Under the Sea is available through major bookstores, online retailers, and many local independent bookshops.

Call to Action

Have you experienced the haunting depths of Our Wives Under the Sea? Share your thoughts and interpretations in the comments below—particularly how you understood Leah’s transformation and its impact on her relationship with Miri.

For readers who enjoyed this novel, consider exploring other works that blend literary fiction with speculative elements, or dive deeper into Julia Armfield’s previous collection, Salt Slow, to further appreciate her unique voice in contemporary fiction.