54 pages 1 hour read

Julia Armfield

Our Wives Under the Sea

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “Hadal Zone”

Part 5, Chapter 1 Summary: “Leah”

Leah and Matteo find Jelka in the shower, fully clothed, with the water running. Jelka says it is to drown out the voice that only she continues to hear. Matteo slaps her, trying to jolt her out of what he thinks is a delusional state. While Jelka contends with the voice, Leah struggles with her own battle: She is increasingly convinced that something is outside the submarine, something she desperately needs to see. Leah also notices that Matteo has smashed into the control panel with his flashlight. She and Matteo rest, while Jelka slips back into the shower.

When they awake, Jelka is frantic for them to hear the voice. She grabs Matteo’s face, and he tries to appease her, promising to pray with her. Leah rescues Jelka’s Saint Brendan figurine. They all retreat to their bunks to rest again. When Leah next wakes up, it is to the sound of loud banging: Matteo is banging on the escape hatch, through which Jelka has disappeared. They try, in desperation, to open the hatch and rescue her, but they are too late. Jelka opens the outer doors, and the water crushes her.