The Waters

Bonnie Jo Campbell’s fiction belongs to the subgenre termed rural noir (also called “Grit Lit” and “Hick Lit.”) While “noir” is traditionally a type of crime novel that conjures an illicit or seedy atmosphere, works in the rural noir genre are most commonly set in the American South and Appalachia. Classic writers like William Faulkner, Harper Lee, and Flannery O’Connor are sometimes cited as models for the genre. The distinctive features of the physical environment influence the conflicts of such works and also define the characters. As Keith Scribner explains, “In these stories the people are inseparable from the land and its history” (Scribner, Keith. “8 Modern Classics of Rural Noir.” CrimeReads, 16 Jan. 2019). The lives of characters in the rural noir genre are often defined by poverty, lack of opportunity, abuse, violence, or substance abuse. In many instances, generational ties and family bonds are central to the conflict, and the rural community often serves as either a unifying force or an obstacle. Works of rural noir are dark and dangerous in tone, often focusing on crimes committed by or against the protagonist(s). However, such works are also driven by the resilience and complexity of the characters, and the protagonists are often able to rise above their station or overcome the challenges posed by the natural world.

Often described as the “Queen of Rural Noir,” Bonnie Jo Campbell sets much of her fiction in fictionalized landscapes based upon her own experiences of rural Southwest Michigan. She states that the genre focuses on people “who must solve their own problems,” (“An Evening with Bonnie Jo Campbell.” Michigan State University, 19 Feb. 2024). This definition implies that Rural Noir characters have a lack of resources or advantages, and for this reason, the landscape itself often “gives birth” to her stories (McGinley, Chris. “The Queen of Grit Lit Has a New Novel.” CrimeReads, 21 Dec. 2023). Her first novel, Q Road, focuses on a young woman who is transformed when she marries a farmer. Similarly, Once Upon a River takes place along the shores of a Michigan river and features a teen who has suffered violence and is determined to find her mother. The Guardian described American Salvage as a work that “document[s] the erosion of the American countryside” (Bouman, Tom. “Top Ten Rural Noir Novels.” The Guardian, 20 May 2015). In The Waters, the swamp that surrounds Massasauga Island—the novel’s primary setting—sets the novel’s darker tone and also serves as a dangerous obstacle to the women who must cross it. Furthermore, Campbell makes an important contribution to the genre by creating strong, unrelenting female characters who often face intense challenges in a male-dominated world. Other writers of rural noir include Tom Franklin, Ron Rash, Wiley Cash, Larry Brown, Willy Vlautin, Daniel Woodrell Brian Panowich, and Barry Hannah.