Review: The Drift by C.J. Tudor

It’s always a wonderful thing when readers discover a talented new writer whose every offering is rock solid, the quality high yet never failing to break out of comfort zone. C.J. Tudor has become something of a superstar in the thriller and darker tales in the past five years. From the most recent The Burning Girls, an almost folk horror thriller, to her debut The Chalk Man, one of the best thrillers in recent memory, Tudor has played it small, meaning the settings have centered around small, claustrophobic towns and characters who are anything but what readers expect them to be. With The Drift, the author goes big. High concept, end of the world scenario, and a situation that’s horrific, weaving in terror that would find itself familiar in tales of that guy from Maine.

Three storylines open The Drift, each completely different, with characters who are drawn with a deft touch. Meg, Hannah, and Carter all carry their pieces of the puzzle with narratives that should be reliable — or are they?

Meg wakes up in a snowy hell, her bus mangled on the way to The Retreat, the center of the novel’s mystery. They must find a way out of the massive snowfall, yet find the dangers might be worse with her companions than outside the coach.

Hannah finds herself high above the snow in broken down gondola with an equally sketchy group of companions.

Carter works at The Retreat, a mysterious place that might be a key cog in deciphering the disease that might be signaling the apocalypse. The reader is tasked with figuring out the true natures of each character, what their roles are in this story and how the three are connected.

Those familiar with Tudor’s style will know that the edges are sharp, the people within raw but layered, and the story is the equivalent of Russian nesting doll on fire. She knows how to build the tension while doling out the twists at a breakneck pace.

The Drift differs from Tudor’s previous novels, branching off into a vast new territory. The writing is strong and swift, with characterization and dialogue that propels the disturbing story to a ending that’s both shocking and satisfying. If readers are new to C.J. Tudor, start here and then go back the rest of her books.

All are highly recommended.