The Old Drift

Publisher's Summary

An electrifying debut from the winner of the 2015 Caine Prize for African writing, The Old Drift is the Great Zambian Novel you didn’t know you were waiting for.

On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there is a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. In a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fates of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. This sets off a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families (black, white, brown) as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. As the generations pass, their lives - their triumphs, errors, losses, and hopes -  emerge through a panorama of history, fairytale, romance and science fiction.

From a woman covered with hair and another plagued with endless tears, to forbidden love affairs and fiery political ones, to homegrown technological marvels like Afronauts, microdrones, and viral vaccines, this gripping, unforgettable novel is a testament to our yearning to create and cross borders, and a meditation on the slow, grand passage of time.

Praise for The Old Drift

“An intimate, brainy, gleaming epic.... This is a dazzling book, as ambitious as any first novel published this decade.” (Dwight Garner, The New York Times) 

“A founding epic in the vein of Virgil’s Aeneid...though in its sprawling size, its flavor of picaresque comedy and its fusion of family lore with national politics it more resembles Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.” (The Wall Street Journal) 

“A story that intertwines strangers into families, which we'll follow for a century, magic into everyday moments, and the story of a nation, Zambia.” (NPR) 

©2019 Namwali Serpell (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Recalling the work of Toni Morrison and Gabriel García Márquez as a sometimes magical, sometimes horrifically real portrait of a place, Serpell’s novel goes into the future of the 2020s, when the various plot threads come together in a startling conclusion. Intricately imagined, brilliantly constructed, and staggering in its scope, this is an astonishing novel." (Publishers Weekly)

"In this smartly composed epic, magical realism and science fiction interweave with authentic history, and the ‘colour bar,’ the importance of female education, and the consequences of technological change figure strongly. It’s also a unique immigration story showing how people from elsewhere are enfolded into the country’s fabric… Serpell’s novel is absorbing, occasionally strange, and entrenched in Zambian culture - in all, an unforgettable original." (Booklist, starred review) 

“Comparisons with Gabriel García Márquez are inevitable and likely warranted. But this novel's generous spirit, sensory richness, and visionary heft make it almost unique among magical realist epics.” (Kirkus, starred review)

“Three multicultural families' pasts and presents, told by a swarming chorus of voices, culminate in a tale as mysterious as it is timeless...This stunning cross-genre debut draws on Zambian history and...reinforces the far-flung exploration of humanity.” (Library Journal, starred) 

Full Five Star Vivid, Affecting Saga

A superb saga surveying 3 generations of intertwining families as they migrate or marry the indigenous and assimilate into Zambia. Highly affecting (almost to shock and awe with its denouement) and brimming with vibrant characters, without an ounce of romanticizing or sentimentalities.

I cannot imagine 10 fiction or nonfiction books will be published this year that are better. A must for literati: it will most certainly be a finalist or be short-listed later this year for the Man Booker, the Natl Book Award, etc.

On Par with the Greats

This was a slow rollercoaster of a story, with amazing performances that really brought the characters to life. It's a little of every kind of story.

Modern masterpiece

So much to like about the book. Against the historical backdrop of Zambia, Serpell weaves together 3 families and propels them into a dystopian future. The Narrator was excellent.

NOT.FOR.ME.

This format is just not for me....Can't hardly remember the characters from the beginning and cant imagine how it all ties in....this is a first for me and Audible as I have listened to the very end of every book I have ever purchased....If I could, I would return it.....

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

great readers, good story

Long winding multi-generation story, it could be 10% shorter and no one would notice. But that's not that bad a thing, I'd be happy to listen to those voices read excess verbiage just because.

Some will find the multi thread style hard to follow and a couple of the names are too similar. (Jacob and Jeremy, so no you can't blame me for blanking on names not of my own culture.)