Drift

by Caryl Lewis

'A truly beautiful and haunting novel, and an incredible feat of storytelling' DONAL RYAN, author of FROM A LOW AND QUIET SEA

'A tender, unusual and gorgeously wrought love story' RACHEL JOYCE, author of THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY

'In times of war, Lewis finds resilience, redemption and hope...DRIFT feels perfectly judged' OBSERVER

'A truly magical and transformative novel. I loved it.' KIRSTY CAPES, author of CARELESS

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEBUT FROM TWO-TIME WINNER OF WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR CARYL LEWIS: A STORY OF LOVE, MAGIC AND THE IRRESISTIBLE LURE OF THE SEA.

Nefyn has always been an enigma, even to her brother Joseph with whom she lives in a small cottage above a blustery cove.

Hamza is a Syrian mapmaker, incarcerated in a military base a few miles up the coast.

A violent storm will bring these two lost souls together - but other forces will soon try to tear them apart...

Moving between the wild Welsh coast and war-torn Syria, Drift is a love story with a difference, a hypnotic tale of lost identity, the quest for home and the wondrous resilience of the human spirit.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Book Club, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Historical

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2022

About the author

Caryl Lewis is an award winning Welsh language novelist. She was raised in Aberaeron before moving at the age of twelve to her family's farm in the parish of Dihewyd. She is an alumnus of Durham University and University of Wales Aberystwyth. Her first novel, Dal hi!, was published in 2003.

Reviews

[Rhian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

I don’t think anything I can say can capture this book. It was like a dream, one that you don’t want to wake from. It was bitterly realistic and walked the broken-glass edge of how cruel humans can be, but it wasn’t dark; instead it was almost child-like in its luminous beauty, its kindness, and the kind of magic that so much fantasy will never quite capture.

I will read this one again, probably multiple times. As close to perfect as I have read in a very, very, very long time.

[hawk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I left this review a long time cos I wanted to see what I thought of the story with abit of space from it.
it's still hard to decide - kinda good, kinda not!? 🙃🙂🤔

I think it/it's ideas were interesting...

the story is told mostly in alternating chapters by different characters, initially two, then introducing a third... (were there more?)

it's a difficult and violent story.

the story is set on the Welsh coast, and the location is nicely established in the early chapters - sounds, feelings, etc awa descriptions.

I liked the multiple language chapter headings - English, Welsh, Arabic (I think). how the novel and author tried to work with language was one of the things I liked about it.


🌊🦭🛶📜🌊


alot of the content was quite overtly political - the military, the English presence in Wales, the disdain for Welsh language and culture, issues around political prisoners held in isolation and without full rights, the war that wasn't declared, drone technology...

plus, difference (within a small community), fraternal twins, dementia, caring, low incomes, the difficulty of finding and keeping work when you have caring role and/or your family is othered...

refugees, racism, xenophobia, colonialism, prejudice, AND unconditional acceptance, respect...


🌊🦭🛶📜🌊


the story incorporated folktale and myth - the mermaid/selkie stolen from the sea 🙂 it was bit of a mermaid story itself... and abit magical 🙂

and map making, different cultural traditions and world views 🙂🌍


🌊🦭🛶📜🌊


the novel was at the same time interesting and good, and also uneven and not quite right in places - it felt like there were things that were too convenient/unrealistic (particularly the real bits).

perhaps in conclusion, it was abit tidy, in both senses/uses of the word (English and Welsh) 😉


🌟🌟 🌟 .5


accessed as a library audiobook, read by Rebecca Trehearn.

the reader read well, but had a kinda annoying (to me) breathiness that punctuates - I found it annoying and tiring to listen, in a maybe overdramatic(?)/overemoting(?) way.
tho their Welsh (and some other) accents were OK 🙂

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unexpected joy! Not what I imagined and I thought it was stunning!

[Andy – And The Plot Thickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

"They used to think that each star had its own sphere, that each one circled the earth untouched and untouching... But stars, they collide, they move, are never fixed... Making them appear so makes us feel better, but they stray into each others' paths, feel the pull of others, and that's the wonder of it."

Nefyn has always been different. Even her twin brother, Joseph doesn't understand her. Because there is something peculiar about her deep connection to the sea on the Welsh coast, something otherworldly and magical: "We're all just a collection of things. Brought together by the sea. Torn apart."

When she pulls the body of a military prisoner from the sea, she doesn't think twice about helping him. Hamza has been incarcerated for years, his name forgotten, after being falsely accused of helping to ambush British soldiers in Syria.

Almost immediately, Nefyn and Hamza form an indelible connection. Hamza somehow makes the withdrawn Nefyn more confident. She'll do anything to protect him, including using her mysterious relationship with the sea to keep him safe.

For some reason, I thought this book was a fantasy but it's more magic realism. It's a stunning tale about the enigma that is the sea, and the descriptions of the ocean are breathtaking. It makes you ache with longing to be near the water. The relationship between Nefyn and Hamza is rendered with beautiful sensitivity. This is Caryl Lewis' first novel in English, and she has a very bright future.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't really know how to rate this novel. I read it on my commute to work which took me two hours because of unreliable public transport. I was transfixed by the thunderstorm around me and by the story unfolding in my mind when reading. "Drift" is about a peculiar, young, 'different' Welsh woman who finds an escaped military prisoner taken from Syria by the sea. The novel is a lot about secrets: Nefyn and her connection to the sea, her and Joseph's family history (what happened to their mother?), Hamza and how he became a prisoner off the Welsh coast, all of this is unchartered territory for both reader and characters meeting each other for the first time. Especially Nefyn is enigmatic, is she traumatised? Is she neurodivergent? Or none of that? As I said: I was fascinated.

But I immensely disliked the love story as the relationship felt so very unequal at first. Experienced middle aged man, father to a son, uprooted from Syria and a girl who has never left the hamlet she grew up with or the house she was born in. While Nefyn has agency and a voice, I disliked the ending still, even though it was to be expected, the book having turned into that kind of story with folklore. But I also liked the ending. I also hated Owen, I hated the military people in general and I did not enjoy the chapters told from their point of view. Efa was a nice character and her husband's dementia also broke my heart, but I felt she was somewhat less fleshed out than the other characters.

As you can tell I am quite torn, but as I am quite intrigued, I'll go for 4.5 stars

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nearly a five star book. I rarely read fiction but I was entranced by this one, and I’m persuaded to read a little more fiction this year. Perhaps that’s why it fell away for me in the last section, when the story goes from beautifully judged characters and mystery to a plotline which for me was unnecessarily fantastical. To have suggestions of power we don’t realise in everyday life, well that was enough for me. To have them realised felt like a plug was pulled on the narrative and a capitulation. The fantasy was a step too far. I cannot fault this author’s skill though, I only wish I was fluent in Welsh.

[Bronwen Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Lewis' first English language book to be published. It is a dark and magical tale - a modern twist on the selkie story, and it is beautifully and poetically written. I felt it was more of a young adult novel and I wasn't quite convinced by the Syrian aspect of the story - perhaps as a campaigner for Syria I am more likely to be critical than other readers. However there is a lot to commend this novel and I am sure Lewis will have a successful career as a writer in front of her.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a beautiful, mesmerising, and haunting book to read. I read the book in one sitting and found the descriptions of the sea and the book's setting stunning. I felt connected to the characters and their emotions and enjoyed reading the beautiful love story.

[Michaela Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty book. An intimate read- I could imagine this being a made into an ITV drama or staged beautifully as a play. But, occasionally felt like I was being spoon fed emotion…if you catch my… Drift…? Hehe soz

[Meinir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ardderchog

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story, of Nefyn, the daughter of a mysterious woman, Hamza, a Syrian lost to the sea, Joseph, Nefyn's brother, Afa, and her long married husband Emrys, who she is losing to dementia, all in a Welsh cove, with the sea never far, intruding on all with its salt and its sound and its spray

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling emotional with this beautifully written, not too deep book.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t help but feel like I’m cheating the Goodreads reading challenge when I read a short book but don’t hate the player hate the game.

Anyway, this book was really good, very powerful story told in such a short amount of time :)

[Martine Geerardyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een pareltje, ongewoon en heel erg mooi. Aanrader!

[Ciara Virk · Rating 5 out of 5]

feel sad look water, i will retire in a cottage by the sea

[Eve Hunter-Featherstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had such high expectations when I first saw this advertised. I went into it expecting a raw, poignant love story and unfortunately was left deeply disappointed. Before reading, I noticed a lot of reviews describing the turn the book took as being "unexpected". I wish someone had explained that this meant it had a strong fantasy plotline that was not hinted at in the blurb. I am a big lover of fantasy novels, but that was not what I was anticipating with this book, and I think I switched off a bit once this part of the story emerged.

Another issue was that I never fully connected with Nefyn and Hamza as characters, and the book felt too short to properly develop a convincing romance. I was more invested in Efa and Emry's story, and even Joseph came across as a deeper character with more engaging complexities. In addition, there was never any real sense of threat from the external forces supposedly trying to tear Nefyn and Hamza apart. What I assume were written to be scenes of epic romance, nail-biting danger, and amazing feats of power evoked only a detached interest.

Ultimately, this just wasn't the book for me. I've given it an extra star because Lewis' writing style is very good, but I found the character and plot development to be mediocre.

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drift, what a lovely reading experience you were. Set in a remote Welsh fishing community, this is an immersive and memorable story. It mesmerised me and I loved it.

I didn’t know anything about the story when I picked this up and honestly I think that’s a good way to approach it. Suffice to say that when it begins we meet two key characters. Hamza is a Syrian Prisoner of War who is being held in a Welsh military facility and Nefyn is a young Welsh woman, potentially with intellectual disabilities, who lives in a very basic fishing hut with her twin brother.

There are magic realism elements to the story – which is usually a hard no for me - but they really work in this instance. Despite being rooted in current affairs, it has a timeless, almost fairytale like feel.

Drift is shortlisted for the 2023 Welsh Book of the Year People’s Choice Award. It also won Waterstones Welsh Book of the Year last year.

[Josh Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book displayed in the window of my local Waterstones as Wales book of the year and they were right!

This book is the story of Nefyn, a unique young Welsh girl that has more going on underneath than you would expect (much like the ocean), and Hamza, a Syrian map-maker who escapes the custody of the army.
When they end up coming together helping each other and proving "nothing is impossible".

Caryl Lewis did a truly amazing job of writing this hauntingly beautiful story. She managed to write about the cruelty of man without it being a dark read. She really brought the beautiful coastline of Wales (my home) to life in her words!

If you haven't read this book you are missing out.
Perffaith!

📝Favourite Quote📝
"I've seen how people treat each other in this world.' He paused, gathering his thoughts. 'You received me without judgement. With kindness. With acceptance.
I think that maybe you are well. It is everyone else on this Earth that is sick'"

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don´t know how to review this book. The prose is gorgeous,and as with many Welsh writers it has a dreamlike quality,the plot is intriguing, and the characters,even the minor ones, are well drawn. Lewis has, like Keegan and Davies,the talent to convey beautiful imagery,feelings and stories with an admirable economy of words. But... Halfway through, I was loving it;then all the cumulative tension seemed to peter out.It ends with a whimper, the resolution was not convincing to me,and it deserved better.

[mesal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one book singlehandedly convinced me to read more of Lewis' works. It has a bit of a slow build-up to the climax, and at times it feels less plot-driven and far more focused on character exploration, but if you don't mind that sort of book, this is a very interesting read.

[Morgan Hardy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The prose was pretty. There were passages that were beautiful, like a love letter to the sea. I did enjoy how different characters view the sea from different aspects.
Aside from that, the pacing of the book was really off. The author tries to take too many characters’ point of view but isn’t able to develop them well. If it had just been vignettes of different characters lives and how they see the sea, without a “plot” honestly I would have enjoyed it more. I love a plot driven book, not a half-assed book.
The 3rd quarter of the book was the most interesting because the stakes were higher, and in general I found myself wanting to just read about the military base and them trying to solve their mystery.
The supernatural element to the book really made me hate it honestly.
I feel like the author had a lot of thoughts and things she wanted to try but her mistake was trying to do it all in one book.

[Shazza Hoppsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lewis has crafted a poetic fable of mystery and beauty.
She questions our realities as she plums the 97 percent of the earths surface covered by the sea. What are our motivations and are we realy adrift and unkind?

In the words of Neruda -

“She did not speak because she had no speech.
Her eyes were the colour of distant love,
her twin arms were made of white topaz.
Her lips moved, silent, in a coral light,
and suddenly she went out by that door.
Entering the river she was cleaned,
shining like a white stone in the rain,
and without looking back she swam again
swam towards emptiness, swam towards death.”

I will never again think cynically of “magical realism”.

[gorecki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m very sad to be this negative and such a killjoy, but I’m afraid this must be the worst book I’ve read in a couple of years: cheesy, corny, overwritten, monotonous, just generally… not great. And this was supposed to be the first book of a great reading month.

[Lenna Lowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning book. The prose is beautiful and the author has managed to tell the story without using too many words which I love. She trusts the reader to use their imagination to picture the scene. Plus it’s a beautiful love story. I implore everyone to read this book 💚

[Catherine Ellcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Like a poetic fairytale.

[Lieven Vuylsteke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheesy. First chapters captivating. Next chapters plunging into a highly unlikely plot and stereotype language.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. Perfect for a gray, rainy day and a mug of tea. All the beauty of Claire Keegan’s writing, only laced with brooding Welch seas.

[Ms6282 Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welsh “Magical realism”. An enjoyable read, although the ending didn’t quite work for me.

[Robert Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply beautiful. Read it.

[Nicola Ennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grounded in reality yet so very mystical. This is a treasure of a book where you champion for the good over what is so evil.