The Well

A Novel

By: Catherine Chanter

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

Set in a modern-day Britain where water is running out everywhere except at the farm of one seemingly ordinary family whose mysterious good fortune leads to a shocking act of violence, The Well is “extraordinary...a mesmerizing read…combining a gripping mystery, nuanced psychological drama, and striking prose” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

When Ruth Ardingly and her family make that first long drive up from the city in their grime-encrusted car and view The Well, they are enchanted by a jewel of a farm that appears to offer everything they need: an opportunity for Ruth, an escape for her husband, and a home for their grandson. But when the drought begins, everything changes. Surrounded by thirty acres of lush greenery, the farm mysteriously thrives while the world outside crumbles under the longest dry spell in recorded history. No one, including the owners, understands why.

But The Well’s unique glory comes at a terrible price. From the envy of their neighbors to the mandates of the government, from the fanaticism of a religious order called the Sisters of the Rose to the everyday difficulties of staying close as husband and wife, grandmother and child—all these forces lead to a shocking crime. Accusations of witchcraft, wrongdoing, and murder envelop the family until their paradise becomes a prison.

A beautifully written debut novel that “channels Margaret Atwood and Gillian Flynn, creating a story that’s speculative and suspenseful” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), The Well is an utterly haunting meditation on the fragile nature of our relationships with each other and the places we call home.

Kept me on my toes!

Psychological thriller? Yes Exploring human relationships? yes. This book has these things rolled up with descriptions of the English Countryside and bungling governments. Totally interesting

Brilliant, poetic, tragic. Life-affirming indomitable spirits

This book so unexpected. The rare kind of book that haunts. So human. So tragic. Lush in its validation of life, even when the spirit becomes dry, brittle, and oh so frail.Yet from the well, hope springs eternal.

The story is so very original. Nuanced. The prose often times poetic.

The performance is nothing short of stunning. Nicola breathes life into these beautiful words.

F this book!

I was pretty into the description of the book and was expecting something like Children of Men and in some ways the tone and mood are similar; a bleak near future where environmental catastrophe is creating civil unrest.

However, I am SICK to death of books where the protagonist (usually female) is supposedly very intelligent but lacks anything like the ability to recognize what's going on around them.

I understand characters are flawed and making mistakes is part of what creates tension in a narrative but seriously, everything this character does defies logic. She doesn't just get everything wrong, she seems completely baffled by life. She says variations of, "I don't know," or "I don't understand," so many times that eventually, as a reader, I found myself thinking "No, duh!"

Very disappointing. Instead of listening to this book, watch Top of the Lake on Netflix.