The Well and the Mine is a beautifully written novel. From the lyrical prose and finely drawn characters to it's evocative setting, this debut novel from Gin Phillips is masterfully composed. Set in 1931 in a coal-mining town of rural Alabama, the plot unfolds as young Tess watches an unknown woman throw a baby into her family’s well. From the opening scene I was completely immersed in the story’s place, time and characters, but The Well and The Mine is about much more than the mystery of the baby in the well and coal mining in Alabama. The strength of family, love and community temper the harsh reality of poverty and racism in depression-era life.
The Moores are hard-working, compassionate people and through their example they instill those values in their children. Their love for each other and their ability to see beyond their own needs enable them to manage their daily struggles with grace and dignity. There will always be those who are more fortunate and less fortunate than you, but what matters most in this world is how you live with what you are given. Although the Moores are clearly of modest means, they never refuse food to anyone who knocks on their door.
In the book, the well and the mine are dark underground places yet both can sustain life or deplete it depending on the circumstances. The coal miners rely on the mine to provide their daily living and sustain their lives. But the mine can just as easily take their lives. The same paradox applies to the well. The water that the well provides is life giving, but for the unknown baby it is a grave. Is it fate that determines the circumstances of our lives and does it matter what cards we have been dealt? Or is it what we do with what we have that counts? The Well and the Mine explores these themes with a richly woven story and beautiful prose that drew me in and wouldn’t let me go.
The Moores are hard-working, compassionate people and through their example they instill those values in their children. Their love for each other and their ability to see beyond their own needs enable them to manage their daily struggles with grace and dignity. There will always be those who are more fortunate and less fortunate than you, but what matters most in this world is how you live with what you are given. Although the Moores are clearly of modest means, they never refuse food to anyone who knocks on their door.
In the book, the well and the mine are dark underground places yet both can sustain life or deplete it depending on the circumstances. The coal miners rely on the mine to provide their daily living and sustain their lives. But the mine can just as easily take their lives. The same paradox applies to the well. The water that the well provides is life giving, but for the unknown baby it is a grave. Is it fate that determines the circumstances of our lives and does it matter what cards we have been dealt? Or is it what we do with what we have that counts? The Well and the Mine explores these themes with a richly woven story and beautiful prose that drew me in and wouldn’t let me go.
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