Something in the Water opens after much of the novel’s main conflict has occurred. The protagonist, Erin, digs a grave for her now-dead husband, posing the question, “Have you ever wondered how long it takes to dig a grave?” (3). Erin offers no explanation for how her husband died in this chapter, but she will recount the events from three months ago to make everything clear. Erin waffles between believing she is a good or bad person, finally telling the reader “maybe you should decide” (8).

As the chapter title denotes, the story rewinds three months to “The anniversary of the first day we met” (9). “We” refers to Erin and her husband Mark. They’ve been together for several years and might continue to celebrate this anniversary, even after they get married in two months.

After a lovely morning of hiking and watching the sunrise, Mark and Erin discuss Mark’s job (banker specializing in sovereign debt). Due to a heavy workload and wanting to have a family with Erin, he plans to quit and look for new employment, which means he will get paid time off between jobs. Erin’s current documentary (interviews with three criminals before and after their prison releases) has some downtime coming up.