Our Wives Under the Sea

By: Julia Armfield

Narrated by: Annabel Baldwin, Robyn Holdaway

Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Leah is changed. Months earlier, she left for a routine expedition, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.

©2022 Julia Armfield (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Impeccable

This novel and its narration far exceeded any and all expectations I may have when cracking open any book / popping in my earbuds, and I am nearly impossible to please in ways which even I do not recognize. Complex, melodious, surreal, beautiful, hideous, heartbreaking, intense, and just so incredibly odd beyond measure. The joining of Annabel Baldwin and Robyn Holdaway’s voices with Julia Armfield’s novel is an elusively perfect marriage of written and spoken language. When I love an audiobook, I enjoy getting my hands on the book and toggling between listening and reading… it didn’t take me long to run out and purchase this book and I found myself in the most strange place of depriving myself from reading or listening for any long periods of time because I didn’t want to reach the end! I wanted it to last as long as possible! Alas, this is one book I will re-listen to and re-read numerous times.

Eerily entertaining

This was a haunting and eerie story of loss and love between two women. I can’t really explain what I just read, but enjoyed it at times. The intense notes and running water that I felt I could hear while reading this is what kept me going. The creepiness while trying to understand what is happening is what pulled me to the end. There are scenes that I cannot grasp what importance they bring, and then select scenes that are cut so short and left with an odd, horror-like emotion. Lots of metaphors and themes to explore in this novel. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark love stories or short stories.

Achingly beautiful

I’m at a loss of words trying to describe this book. Equal parts horror and the kind of love story that slowly evolves, it left me wanting more and yet, complete. The characters were alive for me and the storytelling so well done it was hard to put down. The performances by both readers were so well done they felt intimate. I hope to read more by this author.

Cryptic, vague, depressing

While I loved the poetic quality of the prose and how the author explored themes of grief and loss, I was grasping for something concrete. Ended up feeling as dissatisfied as the characters in the book.

Putting the LOVE back in Lovecraft

Such a gorgeous book, and I’m wavering between 4 and 5 stars, as the last 3 chapters were so magical as to bump my opinion up. This isn’t a scary book by any means, just light cosmic horror with a sprinkling of unsettling body horror to really build the dread. Mostly, this is a beautifully wrought love story, and a meditation on grief and loss. It’s a slow burn, for sure, but thankfully short to keep it from dragging. The ending was both aggravating because of what we never learned, yet also intensely satisfying with what little we do learn. The last few moments were just breathtaking and made the whole read worthwhile. The narration was a bit TOO serene, and though the readers had remarkable diction, at times the monotone made it hard for me to stay focused on the story.

Good story, 'meh' narration

A good read if you like unsettling lit fic

I just didn't particularly care for the narration style. The entire book is delivered in a serene monotone. Listen to the preview and know that's exactly how the entire book will sound. I was several chapters in before I even realized there were two different narrators.

Beautifully Done

Emotional, ethereal and full of a true love story. About holding on for those you truly love and learning how to let go too. A truly wonderful book. Highly recommend.

Slowly Terrifying

A quick read that is haunting and lovely at the same time. Great narration as well. I just wish I knew a bit more at the end but I’m still satisfied.

sleepy

it was fine, i really did not see a single moment of real human feeling in the whole thing. it felt so close to Alice and emotionally bare, but ended up being completely forgettable. a dramatic, female version of the movie splash, but not interesting.

herman melville is quaking

maybe the most hauntingly romantic book i’ve ever read, so atmospheric, such a perfect ode to the ocean and its depths. the narrators american accent was kind of cringe inducingly bad, but everything else makes up for it