The Well by Catherine Chanter review – dystopian vision of life without love or water

Catherine Chanter’s tale of drought and the disintegration of a woman’s life swells with powerful imagery

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water,” observed WH Auden. This absorbing, apocalyptic debut novel set in a drought-stricken community depicts what happens when people are faced with an existence deprived of both water and love. The only place it rains is on an isolated farm called the Well – the home of narrator Ruth – around which envy and suspicion swirl so intensely that relationships deteriorate, love turning to hate. The disturbing dystopian vision calls to mind fiction by Margaret Atwood and Michel Faber although stylistically Chanter has developed a strong voice of her own.

To what extent should we trust Ruth’s version of events? The question keeps us gripped

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