Our wives under the sea by Julia Armfield
due for release March 2022
Thank you to the author and to Picador for sending me this proof copy to read and review.
Description
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 may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home.
To have the woman she loves back should mean a return to normal life, but Miri can feel Leah slipping from her grasp. Memories of what they had before - the jokes they shared, the films they watched, all the small things that made Leah hers - only remind Miri of what she stands to lose. Living in the same space but suddenly separate, Miri comes to realize that the life that they had might be gone.
Our Wives Under The Sea is the debut novel from the critically acclaimed author of salt slow. It's a story of falling in love, loss, grief, and what life there is in the deep, deep sea.
Review
Damn it, I really wanted to like this book, the title, cover and description got me interested but I knew after just a few chapters that it wasn't for me, I kept going though. There were glimpses of a story, there were parts where I thought 'oh ok, so its going to get going now' but then it went back to fancy language, heavy descriptions and metaphors and the story slipped away again.
I tried, I really did try but I felt like I was reading academic text a lot of the time. The language was, how to put this? Poetic, fascinating and captivating almost old fashioned, if you like that sort of thing then you will love the book but for me there was no story, nothing for me to grasp and want to keep reading for. I didn't feel like there was anything to follow, it just kept going on and on and I kept thinking when will there be something to hook me?
There was plenty within the book to get you thinking, about the world we live in, about what we are and about the relationships we form. So if you are looking for a thought provoking text then this would be good.
I'm sure there are going to be loads of people who LOVE this book and I've probably just misunderstood it but for me it just didn't hit the spot.
I'm so sorry. I hate writing reviews that are not positive and please remember this is just my own personal view. We all like different things and so I'm very sure there will be many who love this book.
Please do give this book a chance yourself.
Rating
2 Stars
Thank you again to the author Julia Armfield and the team at Picador for sending me this proof copy. I'm just really sorry it wasn't for me.