Becky's Great Book Reviews Adrift by Will Dean

Will Dean states in the acknowledgements at the end of his tense thriller Adrift that the characters he wrote in the novel were incredibly real to him and that he hopes he did them justice. He adds that from the very beginning he was fearful for Peggy and Samson, both of the narrators. This is part of what makes Will Dean masterful at his craft - his investment into his characters. It shows.

Drew and Peggy live on a houseboat on a canal in middle America with their teen son Samson. Drew is a bully and a controller. He keeps his wife and son isolated by moving the houseboat ever further down the canal, away from other people. He gaslights Peggy and manipulates her, making her question her own perception of reality with his games. Drew stops at nothing to keep her and Samson under his thumb.

The tension and suspense build as Peggy struggles to keep her sanity. Drew's constant quiet rage bubbles just beneath the surface while Peggy and Samson slowly suffocate in the claustrophobic boat. Their only respite is Peggy's part-time volunteer job at the library (all Drew will allow) and Samson's miserable school experience where he is mercilessly bullied.

The novel establishes uneasiness with every chapter, climbing to a crescendo that is pitch-perfect and gratifying. At one point Peggy realizes that Drew "wanted her subdued but alive; living with reduced credibility and self-belief". Will Dean writes in his acknowledgments that books are "a way of walking in someone else's shoes, allowing others to empathize with their life situation". Adrift does this in such an incredible way. I give Will Dean's newest four and a half stars out of five.