Like Song of the Trees, The Well is essentially a short story.
The book is written from the perspective of a grown-up David telling a story from his childhood. It's easy to imagine the words spoken aloud, as part of a family's oral tradition.
This is the 4th book of the series that I've read. Having already gotten to know the main characters from other books, I went into this one feeling fully invested in the Logan family. Being able to follow the arcs of character development was certainly a factor in why I was so captivated by the book. I was moved by the poignancy of an elder Ma Rachel, still so affected by the importance of her name, and I was saddened to see Paul-Edward talk of his brother, his childhood playmate, as "that white boy" (p. 73-74).
A lot of big themes were packed into this short story. There was Hammer's strong sense of pride and justice, despite the injustice of the laws and reality of the time; David's dedication to family and peace in his quiet willingness to take a completely unjustified beating; Caroline's keen understanding of people and events, coupled with smart thinking and quick action, in her efforts to help ensure as good an outcome as possible with the sheriff; and Paul-Edward's thoughtful and sensitive treatment of Joe McCalister.
The shocking unfairness depicted in this story is as heartbreaking as it is infuriating. Everyone should read this series to better understand a part of American history that isn't always taught in schools, but should be.
Parents should know that dialog is appropriate to the time period, and the n-word is used quite a bit.
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