The Well (novel)

The Well is a Miles Franklin Award-winning 1986 novel by Australian-English author Elizabeth Jolley. It tells the story of two women, Hester and her young ward Katherine, and their relationship with one another. Hester, who has lived alone on a farm with her father for many years, is possessive of the much younger Katherine. The relationship between the two women becomes strained after an incident where Katherine hits a mysterious creature with the roo bar on their four-wheel drive. It is left unclear whether the creature is an animal or an intruder who has stolen a large sum of money from the house. When Katherine begins to hear voices from the well and becomes racked with guilt, Hester goes to extreme measures to maintain her influence over her young ward.

The Well

First edition
Author	Elizabeth Jolley
Country	Australia, England
Language	English
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Viking Press, Australia
Publication date	1986
Media type	Paperback
Pages	176
ISBN	0-670-81103-3
OCLC	14407342
Dewey Decimal	823 19
LC Class	PR9619.3.J68 W45 1986
Preceded by	Foxybaby
Followed by	The Sugar Mother

In 1997, a film of the same name was adapted from this novel. The film was directed by Samantha Lang, from a screenplay by Laura Jones and featured Pamela Rabe and Miranda Otto.[1]