"Excellent Story Telling"

Claire and Eli live in Drifting, Connecticut, a small town on the coast of Connecticut where they run a Victorian Inn. Claire is feeling a little depressed -- both of their children are in college and the house seems much too quiet without their voices. She ruminates about her loving father, Jack, who raised her after her mother deserted them when she was two years old. She has always wondered what happened and why her mother left. Was the pull of the theatre too strong and was she too young for motherhood as her father claimed?

A man and his seven-year-old daughter come to stay at the inn. Kayla is blind and is a wonderful outgoing and seemingly well-adjusted little girl even with her infirmary. Kayla's father, Nick, is a little odd but Claire is so enamored with the darling Kayla that she doesn't recognize his strangeness until it is too late.

Claire has suffered over her mother's desertion and has never been able to stop thinking about her. Now, forty- two years later she starts searching the internet trying to find a lead to locate her mother. Eli is a wonderful husband and supports her in her quest.

DRIFTING is beautifully written. The reader can easily visualize the beautiful east coast with fog, the seashore and even a lighthouse seen from the window at the inn. It is a book about a woman suffering from empty nest syndrome who finds that her maternal instincts are aroused by the sweet Kayla and she longs to help her. She also cannot stop thinking about her mother and continues to wonder why her mother left and feels that she has missed so much in her life without a mother. Eli is my favorite character because he is such a loving husband along with the sweet little Kayla who is so brave.

Much of DRIFTING is written with flashbacks to Claire and Eli's earlier life. The transition is well done and leads the reader on an engaging journey. Ms. Gertler has written some very readable books with JIMMY'S GIRL and PUZZLE BARK TREE and now DRIFTING can be added to her excellent repertoire.

Reviewed by Marilyn Heyman
Posted October 14, 2003