I was very excited to read the followup novel to The Girl on the Train, and like many I was (at least initially) perplexed by the confusing narrative that came be Into the Water.

With about a dozen POV characters, many of whom are not terribly consequential to the overall revelation of "who done it," the novel took quite some time to get into. But after those first 100 pages, once you remember the characters and get a feel for the network in which they relate to one another, their significance is made more clear. More important than the specific crime(s) committed, is understanding the environment and culture of the town that quickly explains away the deaths of so many women, and comprehending the systemic misogyny that subtly clouds the judgment of nearly every character.

Men are forgiven for their character flaws, selfish choices, and generally get to live their lives unaffected emotionally by the impact of their actions. Several men even maintain moral superiority until the very end, remaining "good" in either the eyes of themselves or society. Meanwhile, a woman having even a semblance of those same character flaws, ends up dead or demonized by the town; she has it coming so-to-speak.

In a world where women are not really allowed to have complex nuances, the perversion of the "pure woman" archetype is best laid bare with the character Helen. She is a "good woman" in terms of maintaining her modesty, being a supportive caretaker, and standing by the men in her life. And because of these very things she is a pretty terrible person; the "good men" from whom she defines her own identity are violent, selfish monsters, and Helen chooses to slut-shame the women involved in their bad choices, rather than blame the men who are actually responsible for wrong-doing.

Overall, if you are looking for a character-driven thriller, this will not be the book for you. If you are open to a novel that holds a magnifying glass to the underlying circumstances that enable heinous crimes, than this narrative is pretty solid.