The Witch In The Well
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4.0 • 7 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The Witch in the Well is a dark Norwegian thriller from Camilla Bruce, author of You Let Me In.
When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend.
Centuries ago, beautiful young Ilsbeth Clark was accused of witchcraft after several children disappeared. Her acquittal did nothing to stop her fellow townsfolk from drowning her in the well where the missing children were last seen.
When author and social media influencer Elena returns to the summer paradise of her youth to get her family's manor house ready to sell, the last thing she expected was connecting with—and feeling inspired to write about—Ilsbeth’s infamous spirit. The very historical figure that her ex-childhood friend, Cathy, has been diligently researching and writing about for years.
What begins as a fiercely competitive sense of ownership over Ilsbeth and her story soon turns both women’s worlds into something more haunted and dangerous than they could ever imagine.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in a town referred to only as F—, this disappointing paranormal thriller from Bruce (In the Garden of Spite) is told from the perspectives of three characters—two childhood friends who later become rivals and one ghost. In 1862, suspected witch Ilsbeth Clark died when a fearful mob threw her into the town well, where her spirit remains, yearning to be free. In more recent times, Cathy Evans shares her secret of how to see Ilsbeth's ghost with her friend Elena Clover, who ends up running away and abandoning Cathy. Years later, Cathy, now the town lunatic, believes that Ilsbeth belongs only to her and becomes unhinged when Elena, now an author and social media influencer, returns to F— and willingly becomes the human vessel for Ilsbeth's seemingly benevolent spirit. Unbeknownst to Cathy and Elena, Ilsbeth also serves the Beast, an evil entity associated with the well. Tragedy ensues. Convincing characters and vivid prose make up only in part for the excessive time Cathy, Elena, and Ilsbeth spend lamenting their respective fates. Even the lesser characters are miserable, and the ending fizzles. Bruce has done better.
