The Drift of Things

by Benjamin Schwartz

Norman Mean, age 30, is drawn back to his hometown to attend his mother’s funeral. Norm left immediately after high school to escape the everyday reminders of a tragedy he considers to have been his fault, and he has no intention of staying. However, his concern for his father’s wellbeing, and a general inertia lead him into an unusual teaching job at his old school. And there’s this girl...
Marked by razor-sharp dialogue, The Drift of Things is a complex, witty, and sad, with an unforgettable father and son duo at its core.

2014 Piscataqua Press Novel Contest Silver Medal Winner

"Funny, smart, unpredictable, and true, The Drift of Things is that rare book in contemporary fiction, one with both heart and intelligence. Benjamin Schwartz has delivered a cast of characters so real you expect to find them watching TV in the living room. In a beautifully-crafted story about what remains broken and yet healed in all of us, Schwartz has established himself as a writer to watch." -Katherine Towler, author of Snow Island

Genres: Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2014

Reviews

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected this to be more of a comedy. It is not that at all, though there are funny moments. The writing is easy to read, artful, superb. Without rehashing the story line, I will say it is a very human tale full of poignant, witty, sad, wistful, hopeful moments. The characters are well developed, multi-layered. There is a bit of a mystery, a sense that all the events are pulling the protagonist toward some dire conclusion. And I am sure there is more symbolism involved than I am aware of.

[Darlene Vessell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

Very descriptive writing, could see everything in my minds eye. Would recommend to most avid readers. Good book to immerse in.

[Debbie Berris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emotions in this book are both profound and unshrouded. The writing is raw and filled with yearning; so true to life that it sometimes hurts. A rare book.

[Adam Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Norman Mean, who has to return to his childhood home of Garrison City after the death of his mother. Once he arrives, he grapples with guilt, regret, and confusion as he sort of stumbles back into home life.

What stuck out to me most is that Schwartz does an awesome job with character development. Every character has a depth and complexity that brings him or her to life, and they’re all damaged and expressive in complicated and unique ways. Even if I didn’t like everyone, I wanted to know what happened to them.

Despite this, though, I felt like the novel got off to a sluggish start; it isn’t until about halfway through that Norm starts to do something other than drink or wander around Garrison City, and, given how engaging the characters are, I would have loved to see them do something more earlier on.

One thing I struggled with, too, was that the book contained quite a few formatting errors. There were paragraphs that weren’t indented and inconsistencies with spacing, and, while these don’t detract from the story itself, they make it hard to focus and stay engaged. This might be more on the publisher than the author (I don’t know, honestly), but it made it hard to get through at times nonetheless.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of those books that almost lost me. About 2/3 of the book features the characters all drinking, falling down, getting into fights, drinking some more. In between, there was a bit of plot about the main character, an aimless young man who comes back to his home town for his mother's funeral and then decides to stay, living with his father and teaching at the same school where his father also teaches. Things start looking up a bit when he meets a hometown girl who works as a bartender at the local watering hole. More drinking, fighting, falling down, etc.. Then just when i'm ready to toss the book, things start showing signs of improvement. The last part of the book gives hope of redemption. Things just might get better. And believe it or not, that makes everything these characters dragged me through worth the journey.

[Amy Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters and story line abound

Norm comes home after his mother dies and the reader is swept into a psychological stream of mystery, emotional turmoil and relationship chaos. A powerful book, written with a keen sense of what a reader is looking for in a page turner.

[Du · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Living in "Garrison City" it was a bit weird reading places that are real, in their fiction form, but soon I got around that.

I'm not sure I liked any of the characters, but I did want to find out what happened to them. It was interesting to read and wiry at times.

The narrative flowed well, and I wasn't surpassed to read I the back cover, after I read the book, that this was Ben's maters thesis. It had that feel to it