We got this great book poster in a few weeks ago. What actually drew me to it was the Eudora Welty photograph used as the cover of the book. The saying of don’t judge a book by it’s cover didn’t apply here with me because I couldn’t wait for the book to come in so I could read it. I picked the book up and then noticed that Fannie Flagg had written the introduction which gave it more points. So what we have is a brand new southern author, Gin Phillips, with a glowing introduction written by Flagg and a Welty photograph on the cover…I am sure to be disappointed with the story. Well, I was wrong.
The Well and the Mine is the story of the Moore Family in Carbon Hill, Alabama , a coal mining town in 1931. Albert is a righteous man who works hard in the mines and then comes home and works his land to provide food and other needs for his family. Leta works equally as hard to take care of the home and family and sometimes will do without to make sure her family has plenty. Their children, Virgie, Tess and Jack are slightly sheltered not realizing how hard the times are but that is soon to change.
One night, Tess is daydreaming on the back porch when she notices a woman walk up to the well and drop a baby into it. She immediately tells her family who think that her imagination is running wild until the next day when Leta grows to draw the daily water and a blanket comes up in the bucket. This begins a change in the way that the family sees their town, neighbors and basically their own way of life. Tess of course is affected the most by what she saw and begins to have nightmares which she feels like is a message from the baby. Virgie and Tess decide they are going to solve this mystery of the “Well Woman” and find out who she is. The main question being is what would drive a mother to do this type of thing. They begin by making a list of all the women who they know have had babies recently. Knowing that in a small town that a missing baby would not go unnoticed they start to visit the homes of the women on their list. This gives the girls insight into how their neighbors live and the struggles that they are going through during the Depression and how much their parents sacrifice so they can have all of their needs provided for.
The story is told from each family members perspective so you do feel like you are getting the “entire” story by actually knowing how each character is feeling. Phillips does an excellent job of letting the reader feel like they are in 1930’s Alabama and seeing how each character evolves and how the family as a whole evolves by giving us plenty of storylines but not overwhelming the reader with too much information.
I think that this novel will be a great read especially for those readers who enjoyed The Help and Mudbound. Bookclubs will enjoy this novel because it will lead to great discussion on many topics.
“When you close the book, you’ll miss these characters. But The Well and the Mine doesn’t just give you characters who’ll stay with-it gives you a whole world.”—Fannie Flagg
Gin Phillips will be coming to Lemuria on Friday, July 24 to sign and read at 5 p.m.
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