Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armstrong is a horror fiction novel following a married couple, Miri and Leah.After a disastrous deep-sea mission, Leah comes back changed. The novel follows dual timelines through the two protagonists: Miri in the present after the accident, and Leah in the past before the accident. The story flows through time trying to solve what is happening to Leah post-accident while also trying to figure out what actually happened to Leah during the accident. Both perspectives work well in tandem, piecing together what happened to Leah and the rest of her crew while being stuck underwater and what Miri is noticing about her wife and her peculiar new habits. The story also navigates how they can sustain their relationship after adjusting to Leah’s eerie new changes.
This novel is successful in creating a hauntingly realistic portrait of grief and trauma set in a backdrop of surrealism. The horror elements shine through in both characters’ perspectives by emphasizing the scary nature of being stuck underwater with no escape, with suspicious and freaky things occurring around you, and also through showcasing the horror of witnessing the return of your partner, who is a completely changed version of themself. The character of Leah in her own perspective, and in Miri’s, are so different that it creates a deeper element of horror as a realization slowly occurs — they might be the same person.
The one main criticism of the novel that I have, however, is how clinical the prose can be. The novel is purposely written through a cold and impersonal lens to highlight both the distance between Miri and this new version of Leah who is seemingly stuck in a dark, oppressive ocean. Even though it does work within the context of the novel, there were certain moments in the novel where it seemed counterintuitive because the emotions seemed underwhelming instead of oppressive and daunting. However, if Armstrong had chosen to write the novel without this atmosphere clouding it, the story would not have been as successful or gripping.
I highly recommend this novel for anyone who wants to branch out into the horror genre but is often too scared of it. Our Wives Under the Sea utilizes horror elements and themes for the story, but it is not too scary. The novel is also a short read, which is an advantage to the story. It would have been detrimental to the narrative if the plot were dragged out or extended. For those who enjoy listening to audiobooks as a preferred format of reading, I also recommend listening to Our Wives Under the Sea. While the narrators are speaking in British accents, which can be somewhat of a turn-off to some, the emotion conveyed through the dual narrators is masterful in immersing you into the story. Ultimately, this is a novel I would recommend to someone who wants a quick and immersive horror story that will unsettle you while still keeping you engaged.
