This is a beautiful book with gorgeous, lyrical prose that evokes the sea. As I'm very familiar with the part of North Wales where the novel is set, I was fascinated to read Caryl Lewis' first novel in the English language and was blown away by her style. The slow-burn love story was tender and warm, with the perfect amount of magic realism to make this story otherworldly. I loved it.

a beautiful story that gets under your skin

What a beautiful story - two outsiders, Nefyn and Hamza, help each other return to the place they are bound to.

It's slow to build, and I was a little confused as to whether it was a historical or contemporary novel (it's contemporary) as Nefyn's life at the cove seemed too simple and without any reference to modernity. But the language and atmosphere draw you in, until you're in thrall to this simple life and the exploration of what it means to belong.

The first thing that comes to mind is that this book is special. I haven’t read a story quite like this in a very long time if ever. There are parts and moments that I loved so much that I wished it all didn’t have to end. Alas, all good things come to an end, and this ending was absolutely perfect. All the other stuff? I could have easily done without. Once you read it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Thank you for this opportunity.

Drift is an extraordinarily beautiful the novel. The writing is absolutely gorgeous: poetic, atmospheric and delicate. It made me wish I could read Welsh just to see what wonders Caryl Lewis can also accomplish in her mother tongue. As for the content, the mix of folklore and current social issues gives an incredible depth to this novel, whether it's by conjuring the figure of the mermaid (or the selkie as we call them in Scotland) to talk about the female condition, or by using maritime navigation as a metaphor for the human condition under the arbitrary rules of current geopolitics. I absolutely loved it!

This was definitely something different. Loved the unusual story, the main character just as the bits of magical realism. It is an ode to ocean and its strength, and I loved every aspect of it.

Thanks to NG and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange of my honest review.

"They used to think that each star had its own sphere, that each one circled the earth untouched and untouching... But stars, they collide, they move, are never fixed... Making them appear so makes us feel better, but they stray into each others' paths, feel the pull of others, and that's the wonder of it." <i><p>Nefyn has always been different. Even her twin brother, Joseph doesn't understand her. Because there is something peculiar about her deep connection to the sea on the Welsh coast, something otherworldly and magical: "We're all just a collection of things. Brought together by the sea. Torn apart."

When she pulls the body of a military prisoner from the sea, she doesn't think twice about helping him. Hamza has been incarcerated for years, his name forgotten, after being falsely accused of helping to ambush British soldiers in Syria.

Almost immediately, Nefyn and Hamza form an indelible connection. Hamza somehow makes the withdrawn Nefyn more confident. She'll do anything to protect him, including using her mysterious relationship with the sea to keep him safe.

For some reason, I thought this book was a fantasy but it's more magic realism. It's a stunning tale about the enigma that is the sea, and the descriptions of the ocean are breathtaking. It makes you ache with longing to be near the water. The relationship between Nefyn and Hamza is rendered with beautiful sensitivity. This is Caryl Lewis' first novel in English, and she has a very bright future. <p>

A beautiful haunting story…… Nefyn has always been an enigma, even to her brother Joseph with whom she lives in a small cottage above a blustery cove.

Hamza is a Syrian mapmaker, incarcerated in a military base a few miles up the coast.

A violent storm will bring these two lost souls together - but other forces will soon try to tear them apart...

A strange tale that to me is best described as a dark fairytale.
It has its magical qualities ,but is firmly rooted in reality.
The small fishing village with its army living almost on top of them is claustrophobic,giving the wide expanse of the sea a greater feeling of freedom.
There's a lot of sacrifices,and love and loyalty in this book.
It's a little bit different and I enjoyed it all the more for being so.