Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I am going to start by saying that I really like the story told in this book. Set during a time when England has not seen any rain for two years and is literally drying up in a society burdened by ever increasing price rises and job losses as a result, Ruth lives at The Well, an oasis in the desert. Rain falls nightly at The Well, in fact it is the only place in England that ever sees any rain and nobody knows why. They are certainly jealous and Ruth is accused of witchcraft.

We come to the story at the end of the tale that is told throughout the book. Ruth is living under house arrest and cannot leave and she takes us back over the past couple of years and we learn how and why she came with her husband Mark to start a new life on the smallholding before the drought really kicked in. I really liked reading about their lives together as the drought kicked in, as they struggled to farm the land, with the reactions of their neighbours and the media when it became apparent that “they were the only two people who had what everyone else wanted�. Pretty soon they are living under siege as people flock to The Well, either from anger, nosiness or the desire for some of their luck to rub off on them. In addition we have a group of “nuns� who come to the smallholding for their own purposes which will have far reaching effects for Ruth.

It soon becomes apparent that we are actually reading a murder mystery, and I like the way the author lines up the suspects, subtly planting doubts in our minds about people, including Ruth herself whose mental state of mind is extremely fragile throughout the story.

What did spoil the read for me was the over descriptive wordiness of the book which really stopped it from flowing well for me. Whilst it was an intriguing read and I really wanted to see how it all worked out, I never felt the urge to sit and read it as it was quite heavy going at times. “Wading through treacle� would be the best way of describing it.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.