As in A PILOT's WIFE and now in THE WEIGHT OF WATER Anita Shreve continues her latent hatred of the male species by combining the likes of incestual love,the killing of an innocent man and the basic distrust of all that is not female.She treats her male characters as "in the way" of women becoming self-actualized (or perhaps it's a longing to be male and she's just so angry that she doesn't enjoy the same "privilege" given them in society).I couldn't stand the protagonist. I wished her husband had thrown her overboard and gone to bed with Adeline. The story would have been more interesting. And as for her Smuttynose story,Maren seemed like a spoiled baby at times and deserves to die with a heavy heart. Anyone who could take an ax to someone with no teeth does not deserve any compassion.The ending was a horrible copout.Jean and Adeline should have run off together. Much more interesting.