The Weight of Water
Encyclopedia
The Weight of Water is a 1997 bestselling novel by Anita Shreve
. Half of the novel is historical fiction
that speculates about the true events of the Smuttynose Island
murders of 1873.
on the Isles of Shoals
, a group of islands off the coast of Maine
and New Hampshire
, were brutally murdered. A third woman, named Maren Hontvedt, survived by cowering in a sea cave until dawn. The murdered women were Karen Christensen, Maren's elder sister, and Anethe Christensen, Maren's sister-in-law. A man named Louis Wagner was tried and hanged for their murders.
More than a century later, Jean, a magazine photographer working on a photoessay about the murders, returns to the Isles with her husband, Thomas, aboard a boat skippered by Thomas' brother, Rich, who has brought along his girlfriend, Adaline. As Jean becomes immersed in the details of the 19th-century murders, unspoken emotions begin to surface among the passengers of the sloop, and Jean begins to suspect an affair between Thomas and Adaline.
The novel is split into two parts: the present day, told from Jean's point of view and in the present tense, and 1873, told in first person from Maren's point of view as a memoir.
, directed by Kathryn Bigelow
, was released in 2002. It starred Sean Penn
, Catherine McCormack
, Elizabeth Hurley
and Sarah Polley
.
Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve is an American writer. The daughter of an airline pilot and a homemaker, she graduated from Dedham High School, attended Tufts University and began writing while working as a high school teacher in Reading MA. One of her first published stories, Past the Island, Drifting, was awarded...
. Half of the novel is historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
that speculates about the true events of the Smuttynose Island
Smuttynose Island
Smuttynose Island is one of the Isles of Shoals, located six miles off the coast of New Hampshire, but actually in the state of Maine. It was named by fishermen, seeing the island at sea level and noticing how the profuse seaweed at one end looked like the "smutty nose" of some vast sea...
murders of 1873.
Plot summary
In March 1873, two Norwegian-born women living on the desolate Smuttynose IslandSmuttynose Island
Smuttynose Island is one of the Isles of Shoals, located six miles off the coast of New Hampshire, but actually in the state of Maine. It was named by fishermen, seeing the island at sea level and noticing how the profuse seaweed at one end looked like the "smutty nose" of some vast sea...
on the Isles of Shoals
Isles of Shoals
The Isles of Shoals are a group of small islands and tidal ledges situated approximately off the east coast of the United States, straddling the border of the states of New Hampshire and Maine.- History :...
, a group of islands off the coast of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, were brutally murdered. A third woman, named Maren Hontvedt, survived by cowering in a sea cave until dawn. The murdered women were Karen Christensen, Maren's elder sister, and Anethe Christensen, Maren's sister-in-law. A man named Louis Wagner was tried and hanged for their murders.
More than a century later, Jean, a magazine photographer working on a photoessay about the murders, returns to the Isles with her husband, Thomas, aboard a boat skippered by Thomas' brother, Rich, who has brought along his girlfriend, Adaline. As Jean becomes immersed in the details of the 19th-century murders, unspoken emotions begin to surface among the passengers of the sloop, and Jean begins to suspect an affair between Thomas and Adaline.
The novel is split into two parts: the present day, told from Jean's point of view and in the present tense, and 1873, told in first person from Maren's point of view as a memoir.
Adaptation
A film adaptation of the same nameThe Weight of Water (film)
The Weight of Water is a 2000 film based on the novel of the same name by Anita Shreve. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film stars Sean Penn, Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Polley, Josh Lucas and Catherine McCormack...
, directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Bigelow
Kathryn Ann Bigelow is an American film director. Her best-known films are the cult horror film Near Dark , the surfer/bank robbery action picture Point Break , the science fiction/film noir Strange Days , the historical/mystery film The Weight of Water and the war drama The Hurt Locker...
, was released in 2002. It starred Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack
Catherine McCormack is an English actress, known for her stage acting as well as her screen performances in films such as Braveheart, Spy Game and Dangerous Beauty.- Early life :...
, Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los...
and Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley is a Canadian actress, singer, film director, and screenwriter. Polley first attained notice in her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series, Road to Avonlea...
.