The Girl in the Well

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher and librarian in Winnipeg.

This first novel focuses on the struggles of the irrepressible,
preadolescent Corinne Kragh to manage a Prairie farm during the cold
winter of 1934. Corinne’s father, Karl, has left the farm for the city
to find “winter work”; Corinne’s Old Country mother thrusts the
burden of caring for the farm on her daughter’s shoulders. Angry and
confused about her father’s absence, Corinne resolves to “adopt” a
new father.

Burdened by the stress of doing an adult’s work around the farm,
evading neighbor Mertie Henshaw’s mischief, and coping with her
mother’s attempts to make her “a nice girl to see,” Corinne
resorts to making pictures in her head and carrying on long
conversations with her reflection (the “girl in the well” of the
title). Corinne survives the harsh reality of daily life by escaping
into the world of imagination.

Beeler creates a likable and resourceful character who manages to
infuse as much adventure and humor into each experience as possible.
Beeler’s description of Prairie farm life resounds with realistic
detail of the human struggle against the harshness of the elements and
the isolation of the way of life. Well-drawn snapshot portraits of
colorful wood-haulers who pass through the farm, of neighbors like the
Henshaws, and of the various town dwellers who are suspicious of
Karl’s absence provide quick glimpses into Corinne’s world. The
scenes between Corinne and the pesky Mertie are particularly convincing
and entertaining. Unfortunately, the delightful and realistic
description fades when Karl arranges for his family to visit him in the
city. The strange, unbelievable characters Corinne encounters fail to
measure up to the realistic farm portraits Beeler draws.

In spite of the problems with the city scenes, Beeler adds another
name, Corinne Kragh, to the list of memorable characters in Canadian
Prairie fiction for young people. Some young readers may find
Corinne’s lapses into the world of imagination unsettling and the time
shifts and unfamiliar expressions confusing; however, Corinne’s good
humor and courage in meeting life’s challenges should have
considerable appeal.