Our Wives Under The Sea

Winner of the Polari Prize Shortlisted for the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize ‘A gothic fairy tale, sublime in its creepiness’ – Florence Welch Our Wives Under The Sea is the haunting novel from Julia Armfield, 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. Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. But it soon becomes clear 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. 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. 'A wonderful novel, deeply romantic and fabulously strange' – Sarah Waters, author of Fingersmith 'Part bruisingly tender love story, part nerve-clanging submarine thriller' – The Times

Winner of the Polari Prize Shortlisted for the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize ‘A gothic fairy tale, sublime in its creepiness’ – Florence Welch Our Wives Under The Sea is the haunting novel from Julia Armfield, 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. Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. But it soon becomes clear 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. 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. 'A wonderful novel, deeply romantic and fabulously strange' – Sarah Waters, author of Fingersmith 'Part bruisingly tender love story, part nerve-clanging submarine thriller' – The Times

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (NPR, The Washington Post , Lit Hub, The Telegraph , Goodreads, Tor.com, them, and more) "A deeply strange and haunting novel in the best possible way...An impressive and exciting debut novel that may leave you thinking about your own relationships in a new light." --NPR "Shocking...Achingly poetic...Sharp and beautiful as coral polyps...Armfield exercises an exquisite--even sadistic--sense of suspense." --Ron Charles, The Washington Post Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, 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. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. 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. By turns elegiac and furious, wry and heartbreaking, Our Wives Under the Sea is an exploration of the unknowable depths within each of us, and the love that compels us nevertheless toward one another.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR (NPR, The Washington Post , Lit Hub, The Telegraph , Goodreads, Tor.com, them, and more) "A deeply strange and haunting novel in the best possible way...An impressive and exciting debut novel that may leave you thinking about your own relationships in a new light." --NPR "Shocking...Achingly poetic...Sharp and beautiful as coral polyps...Armfield exercises an exquisite--even sadistic--sense of suspense." --Ron Charles, The Washington Post Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, 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. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. 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. By turns elegiac and furious, wry and heartbreaking, Our Wives Under the Sea is an exploration of the unknowable depths within each of us, and the love that compels us nevertheless toward one another.