Reviews
There was so much that impressed me... The Well asks us where do we seek refuge, and why? And perhaps it shows us that what is left, after all is suffered, is love. Battered, weathered, at the end of the novel it comes cresting over the hill, a herald of relief. Bravo, that woman. I loved this book!, This exceptional debut channels Margaret Atwood and Gillian Flynn, creating a story that's speculative and suspenseful.... Chanter skillfully doles out details about Ruth's crimes like slow drips from a leaking faucet, keeping us wondering until the end whether magic or madness is the source of the Well., Suspense-building, supernatural undercurrents charge this haunting novel about ordinary people confronted by extraordinary situations., The story has the pulse of a thriller combined with a futuristic evocation of a Big Brother society and an Ibsenite fable of humans faced with limited resources. The Well was so astoundingly assured that I wondered if AS Byatt had adopted a pseudonym... [Catherine Chanter is] a brilliant writer., The Well is a revelation. It has a poetic, graceful, and emotionally vivid soul and the heart of a thriller. Catherine Chanter has done something remarkable here, she's written a profound meditation on belief and humanity and manages to tell a terrific story in the process., This timely mix of environmental and psychological storytelling illustrates how in an era of increasing climate change ecological dramas become family dramas. This powerful novel is more emotional than political, but as a story foreshadowing a very possible future, it will strike a chord with readers of fiction and nonfiction alike., The story has the pulse of a thriller combined with a futuristic evocation of a Big Brother society and an Ibsenite fable of humans faced with limited resources. The Well was so astoundingly assured that I wondered if AS Byatt had adopted a pseudonym... A brilliant writer., A sure bet for fans of Margaret Atwood's edgy dystopian fiction, Chanter's cautionary tale of environmental mayhem and religious fervor is a provocative, tantalizing triumph., A markedly assured new voice . . . a novel of increasing psychological suspense . . . Its story and narrative voice will put many readers under a deliciously shivery spell., There was so much that impressed me… The boldness with which Catherine depicts her characters in their bravery and emotional squalor was incredible... whilst she showed how we manipulate each other, she also focused on the harder, hidden truths about how in turn we want, or need, to be manipulated ourselves.... Set against the natural beauty of the Well, Catherine also paints an exquisitely painful portrait of a marriage under threat - not just from an unnerving meteorology, but the tempests of the mind.... The Well asks us where do we seek refuge, and why? And perhaps it shows us that what is left, after all is suffered, is love. Battered, weathered, at the end of the novel it comes cresting over the hill, a herald of relief. Bravo, that woman. I loved this book!, There was so much that impressed me... The boldness with which Catherine depicts her characters in their bravery and emotional squalor was incredible... whilst she showed how we manipulate each other, she also focused on the harder, hidden truths about how in turn we want, or need, to be manipulated ourselves.... Set against the natural beauty of the Well, Catherine also paints an exquisitely painful portrait of a marriage under threat - not just from an unnerving meteorology, but the tempests of the mind.... The Well asks us where do we seek refuge, and why? And perhaps it shows us that what is left, after all is suffered, is love. Battered, weathered, at the end of the novel it comes cresting over the hill, a herald of relief. Bravo, that woman. I loved this book!, The Well is an intense psychological thriller that frightened and entertained me for three straight nights. Catherine Chanter distills all of our terror-inducing what-ifs into an intimate story about one woman struggling to connect and hold onto something meaningful in a world turned dry and desperate. It's a powerful novel for our anxious times, and an exciting debut., Extraordinary.... Combining a gripping mystery, nuanced psychological drama, and striking prose, this debut is a mesmerizing read., Chanter is a poet, and she uses words to paint vivid scenes. There are some absolutely beautiful descriptions in this book., A drought-ridden, riot-threatened country; a sinister religious cult; a child's unsolved murder; and a culture of surveillance. Catherine Chanter's first novel has the ingredients of a dystopian nightmare, yet it's more a straightforward thriller - albeit a sensuously written one . . . Intimacy, whether emotional, spiritual or physical, drives this book, as well as an increasingly desperate quest for solace . . . Chanter delivers a strong, literary page-turner., Chanter is a poet,and she uses words to paint vivid scenes. There are some absolutely beautifuldescriptions in this book., Chanter skilfully doles out the answers like slow drips from a leaky faucet, keeping us wondering until the end whether magic or madness is the source of The Well.