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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
The drowning death
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief sexual content; the Senator's behavior
Substance Use
Barely any
Drinking at the party
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The dying consciousness; political betrayal; the expendability of young women
What this book is about
Oates's 1992 short novel is based on the Chappaquiddick incident, following Kelly Kelleher as she drowns in a Senator's submerged car. Fragmented, hallucinatory, and devastating. For adults.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Death by drowning
Political exploitation
Reader Verification
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More Contemporary Fiction books from the catalog.
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