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A review by justinkhchen
The Drift by C.J. Tudor
5.0
4.5 stars
An adrenaline-filled post-apocalyptic fiction, The Drift is an extremely strong pivot for C.J. Tudor, switching up from telling a slowburn mystery thriller (such as The Burning Girls), to something more akin to an aggressive action survival story. Clearly inspired by the manic time of early pandemic during 2020-21, the subject matter might be hitting too close to reality for some, but I find it to be a cathartic reading experience (as I'm sure it was for writing it), living out all the extreme emotions of frustration, trauma, loss, and injustice vicariously through these morally grey characters and extreme circumstances.
I strongly suggest going into The Drift knowing as little as possible; if I were to pull 'vibes' from other novels, it has the claustrophobic atmosphere of No Exit by Taylor Adams, action and violence (and overarching theme) of Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, and it's the more deranged sibling to Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
Even though The Drift is so different from her past work, there are still familiar stylistic elements, such as non-linear storytelling, dipping into horror territory, as well as a large ensemble cast. However, I do find the large quantity of character easier to navigate this time around (I was desperate for a character map during The Burning Girls), since the novel starts out with 3 separate plot lines, this subdivision results in smaller groupings that are consistent and much easier to grasp.
Violence is not often used as a creative expression in fiction (definitely so when comparing to the more visually-stimulating mediums such as cinema or TV), so it's very refreshing when a novel really utilizing it as a character's emotional manifestation (which was why I really enjoyed Razorblade Tears). Even though I can nitpick on instance of plot convenience, and some lapse in clarity in its world building—I'm totally onboard with The Drift throughout its entirety, all the way till the melancholic resolution.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
An adrenaline-filled post-apocalyptic fiction, The Drift is an extremely strong pivot for C.J. Tudor, switching up from telling a slowburn mystery thriller (such as The Burning Girls), to something more akin to an aggressive action survival story. Clearly inspired by the manic time of early pandemic during 2020-21, the subject matter might be hitting too close to reality for some, but I find it to be a cathartic reading experience (as I'm sure it was for writing it), living out all the extreme emotions of frustration, trauma, loss, and injustice vicariously through these morally grey characters and extreme circumstances.
I strongly suggest going into The Drift knowing as little as possible; if I were to pull 'vibes' from other novels, it has the claustrophobic atmosphere of No Exit by Taylor Adams, action and violence (and overarching theme) of Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, and it's the more deranged sibling to Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
Even though The Drift is so different from her past work, there are still familiar stylistic elements, such as non-linear storytelling, dipping into horror territory, as well as a large ensemble cast. However, I do find the large quantity of character easier to navigate this time around (I was desperate for a character map during The Burning Girls), since the novel starts out with 3 separate plot lines, this subdivision results in smaller groupings that are consistent and much easier to grasp.
Violence is not often used as a creative expression in fiction (definitely so when comparing to the more visually-stimulating mediums such as cinema or TV), so it's very refreshing when a novel really utilizing it as a character's emotional manifestation (which was why I really enjoyed Razorblade Tears). Even though I can nitpick on instance of plot convenience, and some lapse in clarity in its world building—I'm totally onboard with The Drift throughout its entirety, all the way till the melancholic resolution.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**