Catherine Chanter

A first novel by an award-winning writer follows the experiences of an Englishwoman who is targeted by suspicion and superstition when her farm remains lush and her grandson drowns in spite of a widespread drought.

A Novel

The Well

When she was sixteen, Diana left her unhappy family and set out to make a new life. Twenty-five years later, she has arrived. Recently married to Edmund, she lives with him at his family's historic country home.But when Diana hears that her mother has died, she impulsively asks estranged half-sister Valerie and her nine-year-old son to stay. The night of the funeral, fueled by wine and years of resentment, the sisters argue and a terrible accident occurs. The foundations of a well-ordered life start to crack and the lies begin to surface, one dangerous secret after another. And then there's the boy, watching, waiting.The Half Sister is a profound and haunting portrayal of those who are imprisoned by their past and by the struggle to find the words which will release them.

The Half Sister

Half Sister

A collection of short stories. The disquieting novella-length title piece is told by the owner of a house for sale. Complemented by stories that crackle with wit and strangeness this is a brilliant debut collection from a writer who we are certain to hear more from.

Rooms of the Mind

'Need. Crave. Fear. Lovely monosyllabic verbs which perch like hungry gulls on top of the iceberg floating in a cold sea.' Adoption is a complex, challenging business. For those who are adopted, its emotional ramifications run deep, half-hidden or buried, a source of insecurity because questions remain unanswered and family photos are missing. Catherine Chanter's A Child in the Middle does justice to the topic's tangled roots and the depth of feelings woven through them. A skilled professional who works with troubled children and sits on adoption panels, Catherine is herself adopted. Armed with decades of understanding and experience, at the age of fifty she embarks on an emotionally charged journey to find her own birth mother. And so, begins a detective story of false starts, hopeful leads, and blind alleys which take her to Ireland and Canada. We stay at her side as she speaks of her need to be whole and to know herself by knowing her parents and her past. Interleaved are delicate, poignant vignettes of her germinating, potting, and caring for foxglove seeds, the metaphor slipped in gracefully from chapter to chapter, season to season. The plants must put down roots and flourish. So must Catherine. This book is for everyone involved in the process of adoption professionals, adoptive parents, adopted children. It speaks to you all from a base of acknowledgement, wisdom and honesty. From the author of The Well and The Half Sister.

A Child in the Middle

Set in a modern-day Britain where water is running out everywhere except at the farm of one seemingly ordinary family whose mysterious good fortune leads to a shocking act of violence, The Well is “extraordinary...a mesmerizing read…combining a gripping mystery, nuanced psychological drama, and striking prose” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). When Ruth Ardingly and her family make that first long drive up from the city in their grime-encrusted car and view The Well, they are enchanted by a jewel of a farm that appears to offer everything they need: an opportunity for Ruth, an escape for her husband, and a home for their grandson. But when the drought begins, everything changes. Surrounded by thirty acres of lush greenery, the farm mysteriously thrives while the world outside crumbles under the longest dry spell in recorded history. No one, including the owners, understands why. But The Well’s unique glory comes at a terrible price. From the envy of their neighbors to the mandates of the government, from the fanaticism of a religious order called the Sisters of the Rose to the everyday difficulties of staying close as husband and wife, grandmother and child—all these forces lead to a shocking crime. Accusations of witchcraft, wrongdoing, and murder envelop the family until their paradise becomes a prison. A beautifully written debut novel that “channels Margaret Atwood and Gillian Flynn, creating a story that’s speculative and suspenseful” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), The Well is an utterly haunting meditation on the fragile nature of our relationships with each other and the places we call home.

Amazon Rising Star, 2015 What if you might have committed a shocking act of violence? What if that act of violence was the murder of your own grandchild? It hasn’t rained in Britain for three years. Except at The Well, Ruth and Mark’s rural property, their haven from the pressures of the city. But their lush garden paradise has made the outside world envious and suspicious, and the idyll soon turns sour. Then Lucien arrives, the child to brighten their lives, and the sisters of the rose set up camp, drawn by the miracle of the rain. And Ruth is swept inexorably towards her darkest nightmare. The Well is a haunting novel that probes the fragility of our personal relationships and the mystical connection between people and the places they call home. Catherine Chanter is a teacher, poet and short story writer. She is the winner of the Yeovil Poetry Prize and the Lucy Cavendish prize awarded by Cambridge University. She grew up in the West Country before attending Oxford. The Well is her first novel. ‘The Well asks us where do we seek refuge, and why? And perhaps it shows us that what is left, after all is suffered, is love. Battered, weathered, at the end of the novel it comes cresting over the hill, a herald of relief. I loved this book!’ Jessie Burton, author of The Miniaturist ‘This accomplished debut...is both a futuristic evocation of a Big Brother society and an Ibsenite fable of humans faced with limited resources.’ Guardian ‘Suspense-building, supernatural undercurrents charge this haunting novel about ordinary people confronted by extraordinary situations.’ Elle Magazine ‘The story has the pulse of a thriller combined with a futuristic evocation of a Big Brother society and an Ibsenite fable of humans faced with limited resources.’ Allison Pearson ‘This story ripples with mystery and intrigue from the first page.’ Daily Mail ‘Combining gripping mystery, nuanced psychological drama, and striking prose, this debut is a mesmerizing read.’ Publisher's Weekly ‘The Well is a remarkably strong debut, drawing from a broad cross-section of genres to emerge as something else entirely—a seductive, inventive mystery and an absorbing read.’ Readings ‘A strong literary page turner.’ Independent ‘There is undeniable power—both of ideas and execution.’ Guardian ‘This powerful novel is more emotional than political, but as a story foreshadowing a very possible future, it will strike a chord with readers of fiction and nonfiction alike.’ Library Journal ‘Its story and narrative voice will put many readers under a deliciously shivery spell.’ Sunday Telegraph ‘Gripping...Although the mystery surrounding Lucien's murder unfolds with real power and intensity, it is The Well's portrait of an increasingly intrusive and bureaucratic state that's both more plausible and truly chilling.’ Listener ‘A remarkable book...This story is apocalyptic: it tells of one property, in prose that pours (unlike the rain) from the writer’s hand, packed with emotion, intelligence and above all, story-telling.’ Daily Review ‘A whirling dervish of a novel that surprises at every turn.’ Australian Women’s Weekly

I England har det inte regnat på tre år. Utom på en plats – på gården Källan. Här sinar aldrig vattnet och växtligheten frodas. Och ingen kan förklara det märkliga fenomenet. På Källan bor Ruth Ardling med sin man Mark. Hit söker sig också en religiös kult med sin karismatiska ledare för att dyrka den fruktbara jorden. Men ute i landet blir torkan allt svårare och desperationen växer. Gården blir måltavla för omgivningens frustration. När barnbarnet Lucien hittas drunknad får Ruth skulden. Hon avtjänar sitt straff i husarrest på Källan. Med vakter vid tomtgränsen försöker hon förstå tragedin som krossade hennes familj och lät mördaren gå fri. Källan är en suggestiv spänningsroman med dystopiska förtecken, fylld av överraskande och hisnande vändningar, där ingen vet vem som är vän och vem som är fiende.

Catherine Chanter

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