The Waters

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to misogyny, sexual assault, rape, and gun violence.

In an unincorporated area of southwest Michigan called Whiteheart, a woman named Hermine “Herself” Zook lives in Rose Cottage on Massasauga Island. The island and the surrounding swamp is collectively known as “The Waters.” Hermine, a known healer who treats ailments with natural remedies, has three daughters. Primrose, the oldest, moves to California and works as an attorney. The middle daughter, Maryrose—called Molly—becomes a nurse. The youngest, Rose Thorn, is deemed lazy. For 15 years, Hermine remains married to a man called Wild Will. He constructs the bridge that connects the island to the mainland: a small area known as Boneset. When Wild Will engages in sex with 17-year-old Primrose, Hermine ousts him.

Gradually, Hermine’s remedies become harsher, and eventually, she no longer allows anyone into Rose Cottage. Instead, she meets people on the other side of the bridge at Boneset Table, where she sells vegetables and leaves a basket with a blanket for anyone to drop off an unwanted baby. Long after her house is boarded up, people still speak of Hermine.