LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER
AN OBSERVER NEW FACE OF FICTION 2015
A HUFFINGTON POST 'ONE TO WATCH IN 2015'
NAMED AN INDEPENDENT '10 BEST SUMMER READS'
'I was gripped by Catherine Chanter's The Well immediately. The beauty of her prose is riveting, the imagery so assured. This is an astonishing debut' Sarah Winman, author of When God was a Rabbit
'I loved this book!' JESSIE BURTON, author of The Miniaturist
'One summer was all it took before our dream started to curl at the edges and stain like picked primroses. One night is enough to swallow a lifetime of lives.'
When Ruth Ardingly and her family first drive up from London in their grime-encrusted car and view The Well, they are enchanted by a jewel of a place, a farm that appears to offer everything the family are searching for. An opportunity for Ruth. An escape for Mark. A home for their grandson Lucien.
But The Well's unique glory comes at a terrible price. The locals suspect foul play in its verdant fields and drooping fruit trees, and Ruth becomes increasingly isolated as she struggles to explain why her land flourishes whilst her neighbours' produce withers and dies. Fearful of envious locals and suspicious of those who seem to be offering help, Ruth is less and less sure who she can trust.
As The Well envelops them, Ruth's paradise becomes a prison, Mark's dream a recurring nightmare, and Lucien's playground a grave.
Fond Of
The Well was a very interesting novel and with a water source being the focus and reminded me of Marcel Pagnol's Jean de Florette with both stories ending with drastic consequences.
The author kept this reader in suspense to learn what happened to Ruth's grandson and for that reason was a quick read
All the characters were off beat and just a tad crazy. Although they were filled with powerful emotion coming to life before one's eye.
Not Fond Of
All the Sisters, particularly Amelia annoyed me and in turn Ruth,I really wanted her to wake up, smell the coffee, and realize how crazy these women were.
Final Thoughts
Catherine Chanter's novel was a unique and different read for me. Even though I was vexed by the sisters and their cult-like religion I found The Well to be well paced and a stand up read.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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7 May, 2015:
Finished reading
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7 May, 2015:
Reviewed