Received via William Morrow Books/Harper Collins and Edelweiss in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

The Drifter was a dark and thought provoking novel that took me a very, very long
time to get through. The unrelated details throughout this novel added realism to this novel in a way that made this book perhaps a little too real for me and resulted in many "breaks". The details evoked personal feelings that were perfectly related to the experiences of the three young friends Caroline, Betsy and Ginny who, although completely unalike, were best friends until the shining future of all three women are changed by one horrific night. I felt connected to the characters by virtue of experience from my own university days. My university days were not spent with sorority friends or even really socializing – but I do remember the excitement and expectation of Frosh Week and drunken nights spent in my mid-20s during a time when I still had absolutely no clue who I would be in life (and lets be honest, the only thing that has changed since those days is my excessive drinking habits!). The Drifter is written in a way that anyone can relate to characters that, written by another author, would be completely unrelatable.

Regardless of what other reviewers have said, the enormous amount of “useless” detail I’d learned about the daily life of our narrator only ensured that the ending of this novel could be understood on a deeper level. The mundane details that made this novel an woefully long read also made me love this novel - the characters, situations and their reactions were real thanks to the realism developed from all the boringly mundane details included by our narrator. I don't think the ending would have been as powerful without he long, plodding journey.

The summer in the early 90s that changed everything was just like any summer in the early 90s. The life of our narrator is destroyed and is forever slightly off axis until she can confront what really happened all those years ago.

My only complaint about this novel upon completion is the thematically depressing and dark narrator who, in the beginning is struggling to ‘fit in” and then spends several decades hiding a secret that slowly tears her sanity apart. The dark and twisted road that Betsy takes towards becoming a healthy individual after her friend is murdered was both difficult to read, and frustrating. I saw enough in Betsy to relate to her plight, but not enough to understand why she would keep such a secret for so many years. I also found it difficult to understand how anyone would continue to be in her life during her spiraling mental state, but perhaps Betsy was a better actress than she gave herself credit.

In the end, The Drifter was a depressing and beautiful novel about friendship, personal discovery and the deeply scarring effects of losing someone as a result of murder. Although many cannot understand the anguish of losing someone in these circumstances – I felt Lennon created a realistic and captivating narration of Overcoming and Acceptance.

I would not suggest reading this novel if you are looking for a quick read. The novel drags and spends enormous amounts of time describing Betsy’s life before and after the murder, her life’s development over twenty years and highlighting her deteriorating mental state. Very little happens for most of the book in terms of moving the plot along. The murder of her sorority sister is the major event of this novel, yet when we learn about the murderer and his fate, it is a side line to the drama of Betsy’s life - which hijacks the rest of the novel until the surprising conclusion. I expected the murder, the catching of the serial killer and the eventual closure for Betsy and those affected would be the focus of this story – but it isn’t. The focus of The Drifter is on a specific person and the effects of violent and unexpected crime has on her life.

Was The Drifter worth reading? Yes. Was is dark, depressing and emotional? Absolutely, but it was also inspiring to see the strength of friendship and the perseverance of the human condition.

This book will appeal to readers who enjoy psychological dramas, novels with deep meaning and rich character development. This novel is dark and deals with sad/uncomfortable situations that can be often difficult to read due to the exceptionally subversive writing style. I would recommend this book to readers seeking a "meatier" read with intense meaning and dark subject matter.

 

**Side note: The Drifter is in part based on true college murders and the author's own experiences in a sorority.

 

2.5 stars. After finishing the book, I feel like I get what the book wanted to do; I felt the story it wanted to be, but it fell short for me. It's a meandering story that covers several decades of a woman's life with the key theme of how guilt/regret/wonder over a single decision can impact your entire life. In the end I just didn't feel connected with the main character nor did I particularly like any of the characters (except for Gavin). I feel like the author tried, and tried hard, using great detail but I just wanted to "feel" the story a bit more than I did. I thought the story resolved nicely though and I enjoyed the writing.

Loosely based on the Danny Rolling's case, The Drifter by Christine Lennon is an interesting novel about a woman's struggles to overcome a tragedy.

In 1990, Betsy Young is looking forward to the start of her final semester in college. She is still best friends with her former sorority sister Ginny Harrington but her friendship with their other friend, Caroline, is quite rocky. Betsy is going through a bit of a rebellious stage as she tries to discover who she is and what she wants to be. She is eagerly looking forward to graduating early when her world is rocked by tragedy.

With her college boyfriend, Gavin Davis by her side, the two hastily relocate to New York, where Betsy's attempt to reinvent herself as Elizabeth is only partially successful. Following the birth of their child when they are both in their late thirties, Betsy is struggling with her crippling and somewhat irrational fears when she receives an invitation to her former sorority's reunion. Will returning to Gainesville help Betsy finally make peace with the unresolved issues from her past?

Although the Betsy, Ginny and Caroline are from very different worlds, they quickly become inseparable as they enjoy all aspects of sorority life. Ginny is incredibly sweet and easily makes friends while Caroline is rather caustic and a bit of a mean girl. Betsy is outspoken and unrepentant as she refuses to conform to anyone's standards but her own. They are heavy into the party scene and Betsy's love life is a series of one bad choice after another. Betsy's friendship with Caroline hits a rough patch but Ginny manages to keep the peace between everyone. Caroline then leaves when the spring semester ends and Betsy and Ginny enjoy a quiet summer together.

Just as classes are about to resume after summer break, Gainesville is rocked by a series of murders but Betsy, Ginny and Caroline are soon back to their regular life of barhopping and parties. With Ginny and Caroline busy with upcoming rush week, Betsy is at loose ends when she begins hanging out with Gavin. Their relationship is barely beginning when tragedy strikes and in the aftermath, Betsy begins her long habit of running away from her problems. Easily convincing Gavin to move to New York, they each manage to find successful careers even though Betsy continues to avoid her problems with alcohol and drugs.

Beginning with an intriguing prologue in the present, The Drifter then flashes back to August of 1990 in the days preceding the series the murders in Gainesville. The novel continues to follow Betsy's life with Gavin and her inability to cope with the events that occurred in before she moved to New York. While interesting, the story is occasionally bogged down in superfluous details that contribute little to the plot. Despite these unnecessary passages, the novel is relatively fast-paced as Betsy continues to struggle to work through the ghosts of her past. Christine Lennon brings the novel to a satisfying conclusion that has a few unexpected twists and turns during sorority reunion. A well-written debut that fans of the genre will enjoy.

The characterization of Elizabeth was well done and developed. I found it strange that she would be friends with Caroline based on how Caroline's character was and was nicely told near the end of story where to go and how to get there. I found this more of a literature piece than a thriller. Still well done and I was engrossed.

The University of Florida parts are very good. There's some slasher flick innuendo that keeps the interest up until the end. Pre-Giuliani era New York in Alphabet City is the scariest part!

2.5/5

This book took me SO long to get through and I've finally figured out why.

First things first, the fact that this book is categorized as a mystery is misleading. This book is not a mystery, at least not in the sense that the reader is meant to solve said mystery alongside the protagonist, leading to a dramatic finale in which "Oh, I should have seen it all along!" In fact, the campus murders that are referenced on the back cover's blurb occur in the background, nearly secondary to the plot. Actually, this book is a subtle story that tracks a woman from her sorority days in college for twenty years, with frequent reflections on how the murders personally affected her through the passage of time.

As far as the writing goes, I will say that technically, the skill level is sound. Lennon certainly has a way of filling up the page with rich detail, detail that fully brings the reader into the characters' lives. However, in my opinion, this book was just too heavy handed with the detail. To be honest, not much actually happened; if I were to edit all the description, I could cut the book in half. There weren't any shock moments, really no twists (except if you want to count the last revelation in the final ten pages of the book, although even that made me "eh"), and altogether I just wished that MORE happened.

I think that if you're searching for a slow burning and rich, detailed book that chronicles young adulthood in the 1990s, from city living, sex, and the party and drug scene, you really might be into this one.

And can we give the cover artist credit, too??? Swoon.

I received a complimentary, uncorrected proof of The Drifter in a Goodreads Giveaway.

One more semester. Just a few final months to go before the end of college and the next phase in Betsy's life. But the semester is not off to a great start. After crashing all summer in her friends' apartment, Betsy has become a third wheel.

She, Ginny, and Caroline met at rush and have been friends ever since, but things between Caroline and Betsy have become more than strained. Things were fine while Caroline was gone for the summer, but now she's back and things are weird as ever. To make matters worse, Gainesville has become the new stomping grounds for an apparent serial killer. In a town full of women, it's unlikely any of the three will ever cross his path. Or so they think.

Twenty years later, Betsy still hasn't recovered from the death of her friend. She's overly cautious and afraid of letting her daughter out of her sight. Things aren't helped when she receives an invite from a sorority sister to attend their twenty year reunion. If she's ever to move on with her life, it appears she'll have to face the horrors of her final months in Florida.

The Drifter wasn't quite what I expected. It's being compared to Megan Abbott and M.O. Walsh, the latter of which is actually a pretty perfect comparison in retrospect.

As with Walsh's debut, The Drifter is less a thriller than an examination of how events shape our lives. We're introduced to Betsy in 2010 as her daughter is beginning preschool, and it's clear that Betsy has issues. She's obsessed with background checks and security at the school and is even caught lurking outside. But what the school doesn't know is that Betsy's fear is grounded in a very real and tragic event - her best friend's murder.

Cut to 1990 and everything is apparently, mostly, hunky dory. Betsy is carefree and happy, somewhat. Yes, the trio of friends is experiencing a rocky patch, but all is fairly normal. Except that two women have been murdered in their little college town.

While we do get some chapters beyond Betsy's final months in college, much of the story is focused between August 22 and August 30, or the days leading up to the murder of one of Betsy's friends. From there, it's clear her life could only be influenced by that event. Understandably.

From the description, I definitely did expect more of a thriller. And while The Drifter certainly has thriller leanings and aspects, it's more a coming of age tale about a woman whose life is affected by a great tragedy. It's also about healing from, and dealing with the guilt of, that event.

To that end, The Drifter is not necessarily paced like a thriller. There's much more introspection and examination of the time leading up to the event. (As is the case with Walsh's title, hence the apt comparison.) And by honing in on the tiny details that make up the days leading up to and even beyond the crime in question, Lennon really gives readers a chance to get inside Betsy's life and mind. To experience the emotions and the uncertainty of those final days of college, the testiness of a close friendship, and the tragedy of loss.

The book is set at an interesting time, in my opinion. 1990 did mark a significant change from the 80s. There was a different feel to everything: fashion, music, movies... I may be biased because I lived through it, but I'd say anyone my age likely feels the same. To set the tone, Lennon created a Spotify playlist. I highly recommend listening along as you read as it really does create a great mood for the book. You can also check out a great guest post by Lennon over at BookClubGirl.com.

I read this as a "blind date with a book" so I went in with few expectations, and I thought it was a fairly solid debut novel. The story absolutely held my interest, though I did expect more of a mystery element based on the blurb on the back cover describing it as "a gripping thriller". It was really about the aftermath of violence and the havoc guilt and regret can wreak. There was some unevenness in the writing and some inconsistencies that irked me, but overall it was an enjoyable experience. This "blind date" isn't going to end in marriage but will be remembered fondly enough. 3.5 stars.

The murder of a friend in college..........the lingering after effects............20 years later, learning the truth. Not quite what I had hoped, but engaging.