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The Weight of Water

The Weight of Water

Author(s): Anita Shreve

Location(s): New Hampshire

Genre(s): Fiction

Era(s): Late 19th century and late 20th century

Location

Content

On Smuttynose Island, off the coast of New Hampshire, more than a century ago, two Norwegian immigrant women were brutally murdered. A third woman survived by hiding in a cave until dawn. In 1995, Jean, a photographer, is sent on an assignment to shoot a photo essay about the legendary crime. Taking her extended family with her, Jean stays in a sailboat anchored off the coast, and finds herself gradually becoming more and more engrossed in the bay’s mysterious and gruesome past. Wandering into a library one day, she unearths letters written by Maren, the sole survivor of the murder spree. Jean’s fear of losing all that she cares about is reflected in Maren’s poignant tale of love and loss, and her obsession with the ancient story drives her to wild impulsive action — with unrecoverable consequences.

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Book Reviews

Lead Review

Compelling and beautifully written . . . the strength of the book lies in the exquisite handling of the metaphor of the sea – constant but shifting, all surface but all depth: and in...

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