Strong Premise, Murky Payoff
Book Review: Adrift by Will Dean
Adrift by Will Dean
Published: February 17, 2026 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
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Synopsis:
Peggy and Drew, both aspiring writers, move to an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son. Peggy is the glue that holds their family together, even as their son is bullied relentlessly for his physique and his family’s lack of money. But when Drew becomes frustrated by his wife’s sudden writing success, he moves their boat further and further from civilization.
With their increasing isolation, personal challenges become harder to ignore, even as they desperately try to break toxic generational patterns. But when Drew’s gaslighting becomes too much for Peggy to take, it sets off a catastrophic series of events.
Rating:
Review:
This book shows a lot of promise early on, but it quickly became clear that there were problems with the narrative. Drew is an obvious villain. His cruelty has no complexity, only persistence and inevitability. From the first page, you know you’re dealing with a monster. While he may have gaslit his family into believing he’s a good man, the reader is afforded no such illusion. His nature is laid bare. We don’t even get a glimpse of him pretending to be kind or loving, and based on what we’re shown, I have no idea why Peggy married him in the first place.
When a story presents such an undeniable, overarching villain, it creates an expectation of comeuppance. I spent the entire first half of the book hoping it would end with Drew facing the consequences he deserved. Unfortunately, it also became clear that it wouldn’t. Just as we get no complexity from Drew, we get no real insight into Peggy or any sense of her drive to change her circumstances. The only thing I felt certain of was more unrelenting, plodding abuse. Frankly, I didn’t want to keep reading that. So I stopped and looked up the ending. I was right. There’s no sense of resolution here, and I don’t regret walking away.
While it may be more true to life that some victims of abuse struggle to leave, that alone doesn’t make for a rewarding story.