Our Wives Under The Sea

I really liked this book. The writing was slow but easy to read. The subject matter felt magnetic, like I kept wanting to keep reading.

The book is about a woman named Miri and her wife, Leah, who went on a submarine trip to the deepest part of the ocean and came back wrong. It follows both womens’ POVs, with Miri’s serving as a way to talk about their relationship, while Leah’s was about the experience of being down there in the ocean and the psychological state of her crew members.

Though there was a sense of foreboding, and the payoff toward the end was nice, I mostly enjoyed Miri’s thoughts about her and Leah’s relationship. They were both so different, and the love Miri has for Leah came across in the way she appreciated Leah’s kindness and sweetness. And Leah’s love for Miri came across in the small actions or anecdotes she recalls.

In particular, my favorite was about how Leah taught Miri how to swim. Maybe because I was spending a significant amount of time at the pool myself this summer, but it all seemed so, so sweet. They were sweethearts!

It was that much more devastating when my friend told me later, ‘Oh and of course, how Leah’s transformation was not even real, she definitely died down there.’ I was like :0 Here I was thinking there was some sci-fi / supernatural element in all this, but no, it’s grief.

Still such a touching and memorable reading experience.