So Much Water So Close to Home

Content Warning: This section of the guide references the graphic murders of women and features ambiguously consensual sex as well as general misogyny.

“So Much Water So Close to Home” depicts the disconnect between a married couple and the wife’s growing distrust of her husband. The tension between them is immediately evident, as the couple argues over whether to answer the ringing telephone. Claire is skeptical that Stuart has, as he asserts, given police all the information he has of the woman’s death. He says he “won’t have [her] passing judgement” (80), but Claire challenges him with, “You know” (80)—i.e., he knows something he isn’t saying, or he at least knows why others might suspect he does. Stuart is defensive and prioritizes what he views as his right to keep details of the experience private. His accusation of “passing judgement” shifts the focus away from himself and calls attention to Claire’s supposed wrongdoings. As the story unfolds, Claire grows increasingly certain that Stuart bears some responsibility for the death of the woman.

The lack of details about the woman’s death propels the plot forward, creating space for speculation about who the murdered woman was and what the circumstances leading to her death might have been.