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.
Adrift is a literary domestic suspense novel set in 1994, mostly unfolding on a canal boat in a small Midlands town in England. If you’ve never read Will Dean before (as I hadn’t), this is a solid place to start. His writing is slow-burn and deeply character-driven, with a literary unease rather than real thrills. At its core, this is a story about coercive control, emotional abuse, and isolation and shows the incremental way a narcissistic partner can erode someone’s sense of self over time. It’s also about the complicated bond between mother and child when they’re stuck in a situation they don’t know how to escape.
The story follows Peggy, her husband Drew, and their fourteen-year-old son, Samson, living on a cramped canal boat. Drew controls everything—where they moor, how money is spent, and how Peggy uses her time. At school, Samson is being bullied and growing more withdrawn. Peggy is quietly planning their escape, holding onto the small sense of agency she still has. Then something terrible happens, and even that fragile control is taken from her.
The novel opens with a disturbing prologue set in the 1970s, told from teenage Drew’s point of view as he commits a heinous act. After that, the story moves between Peggy and Samson’s POVs, and you can really see the full weight of the isolation and manipulation through their eyes. It might have been interesting to also get Drew’s adult POV at some stage to get a better glimpse into his inner workings. Peggy is easy to empathize with but also frustrating. Her chapters are heavy with second-guessing and self-doubt, which lead her to sometimes make poor decisions. You can clearly see the long-term damage of Drew’s gaslighting as she constantly questions her instincts and minimizes his cruelty. But since the story takes place in 1994 and Peggy has already been married to him for fifteen years, some of her actions are more plausible than they would be today. Samson’s POV is more naive and confused, and there’s a coming-of-age element to his story. His bullying at school mirrors the power dynamics at home, and as the story unfolds, he’s forced to grow up quickly and realize who his father really is. There are moments when Drew presents as a loving husband and father, hinting at severe mental instability on top of his sociopathic and abusive tendencies. Readers who are sensitive to depictions of mood disorders, coercive control, and psychological abuse should be aware that some scenes may be triggering.
The pacing is very slow-burn, and large sections focus on Peggy thinking through her options while continuing to endure Drew’s coercion and abuse. If you go in expecting a propulsive thriller, it can feel frustrating at times. That said, the short chapters help the pacing, and the characters—especially some of the side characters who live along the canal and recognize what’s going on—are compelling and add depth. The canal boat setting adds a lot of tension—the space is narrow and cramped, with no real privacy, which makes everything feel suffocating. The real suspense doesn’t fully kick in until very late in the book. When it does, it moves quickly, and readers may need to suspend their disbelief in how events unfold. There are two epilogues—one for Peggy and one for Samson—which offer satisfying emotional closure.
Overall, Adrift is an original story about control, resilience, and an abused person fighting to take back their life. If you’re expecting a fast-paced, twist-heavy thriller, this isn’t that book. But if you enjoy character-driven suspense, literary family drama, and unique settings that add suffocating tension to a story, this one will hit the mark!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Adrift is read by seasoned narrators Emma Wilkes and Luke R Francis, who deliver very authentic performances that make the characters feel real and deeply human.
Wilkes portrays protagonist Peggy with a quiet, restrained voice that captures her exhaustion, fear, and frustration living under her husband’s control. Her delivery of Peggy’s inner monologues—her self-doubt, second-guessing, and small moments of courage—feels authentic and relatable, making it easy to root for her. In the dialogue between Peggy and Drew, Wilkes really conveys how deeply his gaslighting has affected her, making the manipulation feel real and unbearable.
Luke R. Francis gives protagonist Samson a youthful, lighter, and slightly hesitant voice, reflecting both his age and his confusion about what’s happening at home and the bullying he faces at school. His performance highlights Samson’s good-hearted nature and thoughtful inner dialogue, especially in interactions with neighbors Phoenix and Mr. Turner, where the delivery adds warmth and a coming-of-age element to the story.
In contrast, Drew’s voice, portrayed by both narrators, comes across as calm, controlled, and chilling, making the gaslighting and coercion feel convincingly tense and painful. Both narrators pace the story well and switch between perspectives seamlessly, keeping listeners engaged and making the audiobook immersive from start to finish, even during slower sections.
This audiobook is a great choice for listeners who enjoy slow-burn, character-driven suspense, emotionally complex family drama, and dual narration that makes the characters feel real and human, keeping listeners fully invested in their outcomes!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Adrift is read by seasoned narrators Emma Wilkes and Luke R Francis, who deliver very authentic performances that make the characters feel real and deeply human.
Wilkes portrays protagonist Peggy with a quiet, restrained voice that captures her exhaustion, fear, and frustration living under her husband’s control. Her delivery of Peggy’s inner monologues—her self-doubt, second-guessing, and small moments of courage—feels authentic and relatable, making it easy to root for her. In the dialogue between Peggy and Drew, Wilkes really conveys how deeply his gaslighting has affected her, making the manipulation feel real and unbearable.
Luke R. Francis gives protagonist Samson a youthful, lighter, and slightly hesitant voice, reflecting both his age and his confusion about what’s happening at home and the bullying he faces at school. His performance highlights Samson’s good-hearted nature and thoughtful inner dialogue, especially in interactions with neighbors Phoenix and Mr. Turner, where the delivery adds warmth and a coming-of-age element to the story.
In contrast, Drew’s voice, portrayed by both narrators, comes across as calm, controlled, and chilling, making the gaslighting and coercion feel convincingly tense and painful. Both narrators pace the story well and switch between perspectives seamlessly, keeping listeners engaged and making the audiobook immersive from start to finish, even during slower sections.
This audiobook is a great choice for listeners who enjoy slow-burn, character-driven suspense, emotionally complex family drama, and dual narration that makes the characters feel real and human, keeping listeners fully invested in their outcomes!
The audiobook of Adrift is read by seasoned narrators Emma Wilkes and Luke R Francis, who deliver very authentic performances that make the characters feel real and deeply human.
Wilkes portrays protagonist Peggy with a quiet, restrained voice that captures her exhaustion, fear, and frustration living under her husband’s control. Her delivery of Peggy’s inner monologues—her self-doubt, second-guessing, and small moments of courage—feels authentic and relatable, making it easy to root for her. In the dialogue between Peggy and Drew, Wilkes really conveys how deeply his gaslighting has affected her, making the manipulation feel real and unbearable.
Luke R. Francis gives protagonist Samson a youthful, lighter, and slightly hesitant voice, reflecting both his age and his confusion about what’s happening at home and the bullying he faces at school. His performance highlights Samson’s good-hearted nature and thoughtful inner dialogue, especially in interactions with neighbors Phoenix and Mr. Turner, where the delivery adds warmth and a coming-of-age element to the story.
In contrast, Drew’s voice, portrayed by both narrators, comes across as calm, controlled, and chilling, making the gaslighting and coercion feel convincingly tense and painful. Both narrators pace the story well and switch between perspectives seamlessly, keeping listeners engaged and making the audiobook immersive from start to finish, even during slower sections.
This audiobook is a great choice for listeners who enjoy slow-burn, character-driven suspense, emotionally complex family drama, and dual narration that makes the characters feel real and human, keeping listeners fully invested in their outcomes!
