The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips

By Eithne Farry  on Wednesday 4 November 2009

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A gripping evocation of hard times and unquenchable hope

Phillips's debut - the tender-hearted, involving tale of a hard-scrabble existence in a mining town in 1930s Alabama - won the prestigious Barnes & Noble Discover Prize (past winners include Monica Ali's Brick Lane and Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier). Narrated by the members of nine-year-old Tess's family, this vibrant novel follows their fortunes in the wake of a shocking act of violence - an unknown woman drops her baby into their well on a sweltering summer night. As economic depression deepens and the endemic racism of the American South leaves its mark, Tess and her sister embark on a quest to discover the identity of the mysterious stranger.

£11.99, (Virago)

Review by Eithne Farry

Release date: Wednesday 4 November 2009

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