Title: The Witch In The Well
Author: Camilla Bruce
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Publisher: Bantam Press
Pages: 296
Release Date: 23 February 2023
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Hello fellow book lovers, today I'm sharing my review for the deliciously eerie and atmospheric Horror, The Witch In The Well by Camilla Bruce.
Synopsis
Over a hundred years ago, the citizens of F- did something rather bad. And local school teacher Catherine Evans has made writing the definitive account of what happened when Ilsbeth Clark drowned in the well her life's work.
The town's people may not want their past raked up, but Catherine is determined to shine a light upon that shameful event. For Ilsbeth was an innocent, after all. She was shunned and ostracised by rumour-mongers and ill-wishers and someone has to speak up for her. And who better than Catherine, who has herself felt the sting and hurt of such whisperings?
But then a childhood friend returns to F -. Elena is a successful author whose book, The Whispers Inside: A Reawakening of the Soul, has earned her a certain celebrity. In search of a new subject, she takes an interest in the story of Ilsbeth Clark and announces her intention to write a book about the long-dead woman, focusing on the natural magic she believes she possessed.
And Elena has everything Catherine has not, like a platform and connections and no one seems to care that Elena's book will be pure speculation, tainting Ilsbeth's memory rather than preserving it. Catherine is determined that something must be done and plots to blunt her rival's pen. However she had not allowed for the fact that the past might not be so dead after all - that something is reaching out from the well, disturbing her reality.
Before summer's over, one woman will be dead, the other accused of murder . . . but is she really guilty, or are there other forces at work? And who was Ilsbeth Clark, really? An innocent? A witch? Or something else entirely?
Review
Told through journal entries, novel excerpts, transcripts and blog posts; the POVs of Elena, Cathy and Ilsbeth were deliciously intriguing, if a little confusing at times. And though both main protagonists did come off as fairly unlikeable at the beginning, though I must admit to I did warm a little to the embittered and obsessive shenanigans of Cathy as we got to delve into both her and Elena’s version of events.
The flashback scenes we see from Cathy’s POV —particularly in her childhood memories involving the well, where we encounter some pretty odd and unusual goings on. There’s a hint of the unreliable about all of the POVs we encounter and really makes you wonder who to believe.
The writing definitely has a gothic, folksy horror vibe that I really enjoyed, (helped along by the detailed descriptions of crumbling estates and aging rural farmsteads that surround it) and felt it perfectly captures the slowly growing sense of dread that surrounds both Cathy and Elena, and their slowly escalating conflict.
I did find it interesting that Elena, who has charmed the entire town, is a spiritualist heavily invested in proving magic exists and that the person the town has actually ostracised for being “strange” or “crazy” (Cathy) is the only one who doesn’t believe in magic or the supernatural at all.
Given these are the descendants of the same people who murdered Ilsbeth for witchcraft, the ironic and tragically cyclical nature of their outrage does a great job in highlighting the ingrained prejudices (particularly towards outspoken women) that still exists today.
Overall, a genuinely enjoyable and atmospherically witchy read that lovers of gothic mysteries and fantasy horror with a supernatural twist are certain to enjoy—I just wish it was a little pacier.
Also, a massive thank you to Hana over at Transworld for the finished copy.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
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