"Drifting"

Author: Stephanie Gertler
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2003
Pages: 258
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis (from the book jacket): Although raised by a loving father, Claire is still haunted by the absence of her mother, who abandoned her as a baby. Now a mother of two, she has made a life for herself in the coastal town of Drifting, Connecticut, where she and her husband, Eli, run a Victorian inn. With her children grown, her maternal instincts are reawakened when Nicholas Pierce and his blind seven-year-old daughter, Kayla, come to stay at the inn. As the young child's affinity for Claire begins to resonate within her, Claire finds herself drawn into a struggle to save Kayla when the dark truth emerges about Nicholas. Ultimately, the challenge to save Kayla unleashes Claire's desire to find her missing mother. It is only then that Claire embarks on a courageous journey to understand her past.

Fearlessly plumbing the depths of the heart, Stephanie Gertler has crafted a wise and moving novel that tests the bonds of mothers and daughters and their ability to transcend any obstacle.

Review: I read The Puzzle Barktree some time ago and liked it enough to want to read another Stephanie Gertler novel. Drifting was a page turner and I think it's a better storyline than that of The Puzzle Barktree, but both are good reads.

Drifting is a tear jerker at times and I did feel an emotional bond with the characters.

There was a lot going on plot-wise and one storyline did feel a bit like an afterthought, but somehow it works too. Gertler writes a solid novel that most will enjoy.

Read reviews of other Stephanie Gertler novels:
Jimmy's Girl
The Puzzle Barktree