Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is a strange and lyrical novel about a marriage in the most unusual circumstances. Leah, a marine biologist goes on a routine expedition in a submarine meant to last only a few weeks, but doesn’t return for six months, and when she finally returns, she is changed. Miri, her wife, is trying to figure out what exactly is wrong with her and how to help her.

The book becomes more and more strange as the story unfolds, it is a modern day fairy tale with an unexpected ending. Although the writing is beautiful, it is so sparse that I never really understood fully what happened or even deeply cared about the characters, which I found disappointing. An interesting concept which didn’t quite hit the mark.

Atmospheric, original, poetic, beautiful, but left me longing for more.