The Drift by Chris Thrall

The Drift is a Hans Larsson novel written by Chris Thrall.

It features Hans Larsson, a former Navy SEAL who took his seven-year old daughter Jessica on a yacht trip crossing the Atlantic. During their preparation, they meet Penny Waters who became a close friend and a third member of the crew.

The book started with an exciting and emotionally moving scene of a father and daughter adrift on a raft on the Atlantic Ocean. The story then flashed back three months earlier and recounted how Hans procured their beautiful yacht Future and met Penny.

I find the pacing of this story inconsistent. Given the exciting introduction, the long narratives of how the trip began seem to be a little dragging. The added historical facts did not help the pacing either. The back stories on Hans which were told by bits and flashes gave an adverse effect on the development of his character. Though the story picked up nearly halfway of the book, the introduction of additional characters dampened the excitement which was just starting to build up. Finally, the ending was anticlimactic making the book felt incomplete.

I learned later that this book is only the first part and that there is more to the story. That may explain the cliff hanger ending, forgotten characters and unfulfilled quests. This may be a style to keep some readers wanting for more, but, this may not work for other readers who want books with resolved conflicts and answered questions.

On the lighter note, I want to commend the author on so many points, first of which is the great plot. The theme including fatherhood and friendship gave this adventure story a light and emotional feel to it. The back stories and additional historical details are much appreciated as well as the vividly described settings and secondary characters.

With my interest piqued and curiosity aroused, I would very much like to read the second part of this story.

Congratulations to Chris Thrall (@chris_thrall ) on such a well-written book. Click HERE for more Chris Thrall books.