Black Water is based on the 1969 incident in Chappaquiddick where US Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off a narrow bridge and caused the drowning of his 28-year old passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. 

Kennedy insisted he intended to rescue Kopechne from the car but was unable to do so. Yet he didn't report the accident until almost 10 hours later, in a televised statement he said his actions were "indefensible" and 

"made no sense to me". 

The incident made national news and is the reason Kennedy didn't run for President in 1972 and 1976 but tried in 1980 yet lost the nomination to Jimmy Carter. 

After all the damage he caused he received a slap on the wrist, had his drivers license suspended for 2 months and probation an additional 14 months. Seems disproportionate punishment for the life he took. 

This novella focuses on the above events from the POV of a fictional Kopechne. It's extremely interesting and painful to imagine this young woman's would-be future. 

The novella was a 1993 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for fiction.

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