A Deeper Well

Author: Jill Eileen Smith
Genre:Biblical Fiction
Pages: 336
Release Date: February 17, 2026
Publisher: Revell

Her broken heart thirsts for acceptance and love that seem out of reach--until an encounter at the well reveals what her soul truly longs for.

In ancient Israel, soon after Nessa is of marriageable age, her father gives her to a wealthy widowed friend, capitalizing on her beauty to bring in the highest bride-price he can find. Nessa is devastated, as she had begged to marry Lavi, who returned her love and saw more in her than her appearance. Nessa's betrothal leads to Lavi's departure, compounding her grief, and she can never forget her forbidden first love.

Nessa tries to accept her fate, but after only a year of marriage, tragedy hits her new family. She is sent back to her father, who quickly finds a young man who wants to marry the most beautiful woman in Sychar. Misfortune follows Nessa as she is passed from one marriage to the next--until she meets an unusual Jewish rabbi at the town's well one afternoon, and her life is forever changed.

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Reviewer: Laura J. Davis

A Deeper Well by Jill Eileen Smith is an insightful and captivating look at the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well. I’ve always paused when coming to that story, thinking there had to be more, and Jill knocks it out of the park by asking all those “what if” questions.

Nessa is only 13 years old, and her father is trying to marry her off to whoever bids the most. He knows he can get a good bride price for her because she is the most beautiful woman in all of Sychar. But instead of letting her marry someone who loves her, for her, not her looks, he sets Nessa on a horrible path that no one, especially a teenager, should have to endure.

The Bible tells us that Jesus spoke to a woman at a well who had five husbands and wasn’t married to her current partner. Her father’s choice of an older first husband shows how it all might have happened. This sets the stage for the difficult life Nessa had to endure. That her first marriage would be to a man old enough to be her father is shocking to our modern way of thinking. And in truth, I couldn’t stop thinking about this aspect because her father effectively married his 13-year-old daughter to a pedophile.

But the author has done a fabulous job researching the customs of the era. Women were property, and men (being men) always felt they knew best. Their “best” led to a sad life for Nessa in this story, as their actions were no better than making her a prostitute. Hence, the reason every time I came across this story in the Bible, I felt she was a prostitute by choice, when it is possible the actions of others made the woman at the well’s life a sad one indeed.

The author has done such an incredible job with this story that I am now looking at it with fresh eyes. Nessa’s meeting with Jesus takes on new meaning, and it reminds me once again that sometimes we go through horrible things because God has a plan. His plan for Nessa was to meet Jesus and have the privilege of announcing His coming to others.

If you love biblical fiction and want to experience this precious story with fresh eyes, make sure you get this book. You will not regret it!

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Revell through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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Reviewer: Rick Norris

I’ve reviewed many Christian novels that portray women in struggling and hopeless situations; this novel is different. In A Deeper Well, Jill Eileen Smith succeeds in drawing the reader into a deeper experience by allowing the reader to feel the character’s most intimate emotions. This accomplishment is especially noteworthy since I am a 21st century male reader who, while reading, felt the emotions of a woman who lived in a first century society that treated women like property. I felt the protagonist’s terror, sadness, and hopelessness. 

The story begins in ancient Israel, where Nessa attains a marriageable age (13). Her father gives her to a much older, wealthy, widowed friend, capitalizing on her beauty to bring in the highest bride-price he can find. Nessa is devastated, as she had begged to marry her childhood love, Lavi, who returned her love and saw more in her than her appearance. But Nessa’s betrothal leads to Lavi’s departure, compounding her grief, and she can never forget her forbidden first love. 

Nessa tries to accept her fate, but after only a year of marriage, tragedy hits her new family. She is sent back to her father, who quickly finds a wealthy young man who wants to marry the most beautiful woman in Sychar. Infertility and misfortune follow Nessa as she is passed from one marriage to another—until she meets an unusual Jewish rabbi at the town’s well one afternoon. There, her life is forever changed. 

This book conjures a Biblical backstory of the woman at the well, who had multiple husbands. A biblical reader may surmise that her predicament was from her own wrongdoing or a life of debauchery. The author challenges this prejudice and skillfully guides the reader to feel pity for her. 

The author also applies Scripture in the most tender of scenes, such as this one spoken by her unattached lover: “Only the Father’s love can give a man what he truly needs. A wife is a gift from the Lord, but loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength is of greater importance than loving a woman.” 

Jill Eileen Smith starts and ends the story with the biblical narrative of the woman at the well. In between is an excellent story of Israel’s first century culture from a woman’s point of view—a woman whose life seems void of God’s love. 

I highly recommend this book! 

I received a review copy courtesy of Baker Publishing Group through Interviews & Reviews for an unbiased and objective review.

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Reviewer: Conny Withay

“Misfortune follows Nessa as she is passed from one marriage to the next–until she meets an unusual Jewish rabbi at the town’s well one afternoon, and her life is forever changed,” the back cover states Jill Eileen Smith’s novel, A Deeper Well: The Story of the Woman at the Well.

This 336-page advanced reader copy targets those interested in Biblical fiction about the Samaritan woman whom Jesus spoke to at the well. With no profanity, topics of verbal abuse, injury, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes a note to the reader, acknowledgments, a biography, and advertisements.

Following the New Testament story of the woman at the well who had five husbands and was living with another man, it covers Nessa from age thirteen to her thirties as she lives in the town of Sychar. While she deals with both old and young men, her best friend’s love, shepherds, and a tentmaker, she can’t seem to forget her cousin Lavi, who stole her heart at a tender age. As her beauty catches the eyes of men and the jealousy of women, she feels abandoned by God until she finally meets the Messiah.

I have always enjoyed fictional books about the Bible, and the basis of this one was unique and well-thought-out, even though there is little description in the Word about the demise of her many failed relationships. I liked that the story was mainly written from Nessa’s perspective and how each of her arranged marriages had different outcomes, whether they were dissolved by rejection, divorce, or death.

Those who do not like reads that are based on Scripture will avoid this book. Some may not approve of the artistic liberties taken that are not in the Bible or the timeframe of Jesus’s sermons. A few readers may not care for its rendition of the woman being a victim of society or the bickering and tension among family members, although both concepts may have occurred.

Adding the area’s map at the beginning and discussion questions at the end would be thoughtful. While I appreciate the capitalization of pronouns of God, Jesus’s should also be considered.

If you like a different angle of the woman at the well with Jesus, this one does a deep dive into the length of God’s love toward us sinners, no matter our pasts.

Thanks to Revell and Interviews & Reviews for this complimentary book. I was under no obligation to give a positive review.

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