Released October 4, 2022 from Tor Books
The Witch in the Well is such a fun weird, a strange book that feels like it’s half horror and half domestic thriller, a blend that completely worked for me.
I love female-centric mysteries told in opposing viewpoints and through different time periods, but I’m used to reading them as typical thriller novels. The horror content of this one surprised me and blends together two of my favourite genres.
The Witch in the Well follows the perspectives of two former best friends: Elena, a social media influencer, and Cathy, a novelist. They’re each obsessed with a woman from their small town who was killed decades ago for being a witch.
They’re both kind of terrible people, but I found their voices to be fascinating and weirdly relatable. It’s a book where you could ask readers, “Are you an Elena or a Cathy?” and I think I’m a Cathy, unfortunately. Cathy’s bitter, jealous, and unable to move on with her life. Elena’s flighty, self-centred, and a bit shallow. They make terrible choices and watching them happen is strangely interesting.
While these two women fight over who can write the witch’s real story, there’s a bunch of creepy goodness happening in the town, and flashbacks to how the women imagine the witch lived and thought.
I’m not sure yet how I felt about the ending — I think I need to sit with it for a bit. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed getting there.
I think this one might have trouble finding the right audience, but I love a weird genre mashup and am excited to read more of Bruce’s work.
🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for my review copy of this book.
Leanne Olson 
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