So Much Water So Close to Home

The tone of the story—the narrative’s attitude toward its subject matter—is emotionless, in keeping with the style of Dirty Realism. The story uses very few adjectives and contains virtually no descriptive imagery. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, characters are blasé in their dealings with one another. The men not do respond to the dead body with panic, fear, or rage, and even Claire exerts a fair amount of restraint when speaking with Stuart about the incident. There is a coldness in the writing that conveys the apathy the men feel toward the dead woman; when Claire says, “[Stuart] got some nylon cord and tied it to her wrist and then looped the rest around a tree. The next morning, they cooked breakfast, drank coffee, drank whisky, and then split up to fish” (81), the abrupt shift from securing the body to engaging in everyday routine suggests the men’s indifference. This apathy carries over to the marriage of Claire and Stuart, making the lack of love between them palpable. This flatness arguably heightens the story’s impact more than emotionally charged language, which would risk coming across as melodramatic.