I didn't love this book (tbh I might try to re-read because I may have just been in the wrong headspace at the time, although I don't typically love apocalyptic books) and I haven't seen the movie.

That said... to me, it sounds like that ending ruined the whole thing.... It destroys the ambiguity. We aren't supposed to know for sure that there's really an apocalypse... these could just be a bunch of nuts... or they could be killing people for fun... and the natural disasters are a coincidence because, I mean, just turn on the news and there will probably be an apocalyptic-type event featured.

edit: sorry forgot to get to this part. I suspect they changed it because they thought a child dying would be too upsetting... and they wanted a "happy" (ish) ending?

hahaha what? That's hilarious but I would be so disappointed! That's bizarre, lol.

Miri is honestly kind of unlikeable, tbh. I mean, in the way that most people would probably be unlikeable if we were subject to their every thought, lol.

I was always hungry for Leah's chapters because I was like "TELL US WHAT HAPPENED, DAMNIT" although I was also working on appreciating the description of their relationship.

I think I might appreciate Miri's section even more if I re-read it since I won't be intrigued about what happened in the submarine.

I love long books and I wasn't ready for this to be over... but I think I agree with you... I would probably like it a lot less if it were longer.

Great! Someone else suggested Southern Reach but hadn't actually read Our Wives, so I'm so glad someone who has read both agrees because I immediately put Annihilation on hold from the library!

Ahh okay, I can see that. It's actually in first person, from Miri's perspective, but there isn't a chance for "I" yet because she's describing what Leah is saying and doing here at the beginning. Alternating chapters are from Leah's perspective in the submarine.

I don't have my copy next to me, but I think the first line is italicized and it's supposed to be something Leah just said.... I think "unstill" is also italicized to show that it's the word Leah says.

Yes it's quite short! The audiobook took me about 6 hours to listen to at 1.5 speed. That's actually a lot slower than I usually listen to audiobooks but I wanted to savor every moment of this one.

I put this on hold from my library immediately after finishing Our Wives.

I'm so sorry your birthday sucked! If you get it, I really hope you enjoy it!

It does feel very "cosmic horror" in that sublime sense of "unknowability" at the bottom of the sea....

The PTSD isn't overt, but it definitely feels like an allegory because Leah experienced this traumatic event and she can't go back to her normal life, and no one in her normal life can understand what she experienced.

I hope you enjoy!

Yes the second quote is the beginning of the book! I definitely loved the writing style personally.

Yes I put Salt Slow on hold at the library right after I finished, lol. It seems right up my alley. And YES love that comparison to Carmen Maria Machado... If Wives were a short story, I could see it being similar. I haven't read Mariana Enriquez but I'll have to check her out.

same, I got the audiobook from the library originally and just bought a copy today!

Oh my gosh, that sounds so traumatizing! I'm so sorry you had to go through that... but I can see how much you could relate to the book after dealing with those medical problems.

Yeah I think that's fair and why it's not for everyone. I knew going into it that it was largely centered on their relationship, but if I was expecting a more traditional horror novel, I might've been disappointed.

I'll have to check out the southern reach trilogy!

exactly! Just the thought of being on the bottom of the ocean is terrifying. I kind of think of space the same way (which is interesting because Miri gets on that forum for people roleplaying about their husbands in space). It's just this sense of... humans aren't really "supposed" to be here, and it's only due to relying heavily on technology that can easily malfunction that they're here.

That kind of relates to the ending as well. I feel like >!the "creature" Leah saw at the bottom of the ocean was one that humans were never "supposed" to encounter. Not evil, but terrifying, kind of like looking at a god. When Leah is transformed, it's like she can no longer live on earth among humans anymore because she experienced this "thing."!<

I didn't love it, but I read it after I read Daisy Jones and I absolutely ADORED Daisy Jones. So I was disappointed in comparison, but I've also heard people say the opposite and they loved this book and disliked Daisy Jones.

Yes, I feel like the "speculative literary" novel is just my sweet spot with books. I really want to read more books like this.

No it is very short!

I'm curious as to what you mean by "YA writing style." It didn't feel that way at all to me, so my interpretation of "YA" must be different.

I really like the writing myself! To me, it doesn't have a "YA" feel at all because it's so slow paced. I'm not sure why it sounds "YA" to some people... because it's so descriptive, maybe?

I was so confused at first because I didn't realize the first quote was from the joke and I was like, uh, there's no Laurie and Carl in the book! now I get it, lol

I listened to the audiobook as well. I actually just bought a copy because I really wanted a hard copy!

yesss I also think it's an allegory for PTSD. Leah comes back with this experience she can't explain that has utterly changed her, and she's no longer able to connect with Miri (or anyone, really).