Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

Drift and Hum: The Great Canadian-American Novel by Robert Martichenko surprised me in many ways. This is a story that beautifully showcases the themes of love, friendship, family, and the search for meaning, a story that spans fifty years. Readers are introduced to the incredible “Beaver Brothers,” a group of four kids who embrace life as an adventure, seeking to find a foothold, facing all sorts of challenges and difficulties in the far North. As the young men evolve into adults, the bonds of friendship and love become even clearer and stronger.

Told in a fascinating voice that interacts with the reader sometimes, Drift and Hum: The Great Canadian-American Novel is warm, humorous and, at times, reminiscent of the joys and perils of living, believing, and loving. I was pulled in from the beginning by the arresting narrative voice: “I don’t want to die,” are the opening words of this beautiful story, and the words catch the reader off guard. Of course, no one wants to die, except if he was a nutcase. But hearing the words from the narrator hooks the reader, who immediately thinks something is at stake.

The stream of consciousness into which the reader is pulled gives powerful glimpses of the state of mind of the character and the reader is keen to find out what happens. Robert Martichenko has the gift of pulling the reader irresistibly into the mental climates of his characters and reminding them of their hopes and fears, their joys, their pain of simply being human. From the prose to the characters to the gripping plot, readers will have so much to savor in this beautifully told story. For a debut, this story is a success on many counts.