A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A National Bestseller | Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | One of The Washington Post's Best Books of 2024 | An NPR Best Book of 2024 | An Elle Best Book of 2024 | A Boston Globe Best Book of 2024 | An NAACP Image Award Nominee

“A book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A “powerful novel…[that] broke my heart, and then offered me hope” (Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful) about a complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.

It’s the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: she’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop’s been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on.

But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she’s never met, key elements of Pop’s life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she’s learned of the past change her future?

A “sparkling” (The Washington Post), “poetic, and propulsive” (NPR) debut of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

Reading Group Guide

Before reading Swift River, what, if anything, did you know about sundown towns? Did you learn anything about them that surprised you?

Did reading Swift River make you think differently about your own hometown, and whether there are elements of your own town’s history that have been largely omitted from the historical record? Are there narratives about your hometown that you might view differently now? If you wanted to learn more about the history of your hometown—both the history that’s been written about and the history that’s been left off the record—where would you start?

What do you think happened to Diamond’s father?

So many of the characters in Swift River, from Diamond to Ma to Shelley to Pop to Clara, have different modes of survival, different ways of getting through hard times. Discuss the different ways these characters deal with difficulty. Did you relate to some of these strategies or coping mechanisms more than others?

As the only Black person in all of Swift River, Diamond is something of an outsider. Discuss ways in which her “otherness” sometimes renders her hyper-visible and other times renders her largely invisible.

How important is your family or community history to you and your understanding of yourself and your place in the world? Have you ever learned something about your family or ancestors that sifted your understanding of who you are and where you come from?

Of the three main voices in Swift River—Diamond’s, Lena’s and Clara’s—whose did you connect with the most? What, if anything, did you relate to about each woman?

Lena sends Diamond Clara’s letters to Sweetie, but she doesn’t have Sweetie’s responses to Clara. Did you imagine any of Sweetie’s responses? Did you feel like you got a good sense of her through Clara’s letters to her?

What did having the three voices of Diamond, Lena and Clara add to your understanding of this family and the history of Swift River? Other than the fact that these three women are related, did you notice any similarities between their voices and personalities and perspectives? Any stark differences?

At the end of the novel, we find out a bit about how Diamond and Ma’s relationship evolves in the coming years and decades after the story ends. Use your imagination to fill in some of the details. What do you imagine might bring them together into Diamond’s adulthood? What might break them apart?

About The Author

Photograph by Yekaterina Gyadu

Essie Chambers

Essie Chambers earned her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has received fellowships from the MacDowell Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. A former film and television executive, she was a producer on the documentary Descendant, which was released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground production company and Netflix in 2022. Swift River is her debut novel.

Product Details

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 4, 2024)
Length: 304 pages
ISBN13: 9781668027912

Raves and Reviews

A Most Anticipated Book from Time, Real Simple, Los Angeles Times and Today
One of Elle's Best Literary Fiction Books of 2024

“A sparkling debut about a young girl you’ll never forget…. Chambers weaves irony and gut-punch emotion throughout this gorgeous debut. With the smart and curious Diamond at its vibrant center, “Swift River” has a real sense of humor…. Swift River shimmers and shines with acute observations and carefully crafted lines…. The book brims with gemlike sentences, striking imagery, metaphors and juxtapositions…. Deceptively naturalistic and lyrical rather than showy, Chambers has produced a rare and rewarding thing: a fast-moving novel that you want to slow down and savor.”—Washington Post

“A heartbreaking, yet hopeful coming of age story about the high cost of family secrets.”—Time

“Powerful.... Chambers’s sharply observed characters butt up against one another in funny and poignant ways. Diamond’s unexpected friendship with another girl propels the story in surprising directions, but it is Diamond’s fraught relationship with her mother that forms the heart of this ultimately hopeful coming-of-age story.” –The New Yorker

“Poetic and propulsive.”—NPR

“An intimate family tale full of grace, beauty and humor.”—Elle

“Rich and insightful…. Chambers is particularly skilled at depicting the way frustration and affection intertwine…. A frank examination of family mystery and loss, set in a landscape of economic and racial turmoil.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Chambers’ funny debut is set in a 1980s New England mill town in decline. Seven years after her father’s disappearance, Diamond Newberry and her mother are struggling, but Diamond’s observations provide comic leavening. During the summer of 1987, her mom files to have Pop declared dead, which is when things get complicated. Diamond receives a letter from an unknown relative, which starts her on a path to learn her family — and the nation’s — history.”—The Los Angeles Times

“A deeply moving portrayal of a girl you will absolutely fall for and cheer on through every scene of this remarkable debut.”—Real Simple

“A captivating debut. Infused with the bright and vulnerable voice of its young narrator, Swift River unspools a poignant coming-of-age story about hard and hopeful truths.”—Esquire

"Astonishing.... In Swift River, Chambers illuminates how the sprawling, twisted branches of our family trees traverse both genealogy and time—tracing not just ancestral lineages but history writ large."--The Nation

"Riveting.... Swift River takes a deep dive into the psychological and historical trauma that accompanied living and navigating in a “sundown town”, family secrets, and more."--Essence

“Insightful, moving, and wryly funny, Chambers’ debut is sure to be a book club favorite.”—Booklist, starred review

“This novel’s assured plotting and emotional resonance should render it a breakout book. Call your book club: This symphonic debut is your next read.”—Kirkus

“A poignant coming-of-age story about a Black girl growing up in a predominantly white New England town north of Boston in 1987…. Chambers’s assured first novel sings.”—Publishers Weekly

"Readers are transported to 1987 New England in Essie Chambers’ captivating debut novel. Ever since her Pop disappeared, Diamond Newberry is the only Black person in all of Swift River. But when she gets a letter from a relative she’s never met with insight into Pop’s life, she’s introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women. As Diamond uncovers the past, how will it change her future?"--Woman's World

“A mesmerizing account of inherited trauma in what was once a sundown town. Diamond is a gutsy girl with a keen intellect and an irrepressible, hopeful outlook, and her often-humorous narration is the novel’s central, propelling force. Chambers masterfully delivers the message of Swift River: ‘Our instincts, our deepest intuitions, are really our ancestral memory; our people speaking through us.’”—BookPage

“Darkly funny and fiery, heartbreaking and healing, with language so gorgeous I went back to read sentences again and again. What a beautiful debut.”—JACQUELINE WOODSON, National Book Award winning author

“In the tradition of all great mother-daughter stories, Swift River is complicated, frank, yet infused with that satisfying feeling one gets when you realize the missing piece to the puzzle is a sense of self. Page by beautifully vibrant page, Swift River comes at you in whirring Kodachrome snapshots of memory, classic rock, and hidden New England lore. A sensational debut.”—PAUL BEATTY, author of Man Booker Award winning novel The Sellout

“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us; it is only when Diamond learns about the women that came before her—their strengths and losses mirroring her own—that she can finally imagine a better future for herself. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.”—ANN NAPOLITANO, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“Truly amazing. Such an incredible blend of intimate and epic, so smart and funny and honest and generous-spirited. I like plenty of books but I love a novel this much maybe just once or twice a year.”—CURTIS SITTENFELD, New York Times bestselling author of Romantic Comedy

“Swift River is the book we all need to revive our souls. It’s told with such grace, humor, and above all, heart. I could follow Diamond and her captivating journey forever. It’s heartbreaking. It’s beautiful. This epic novel deserves all the attention in the world. A must read!” —NICOLE DENNIS-BENN, award-winning author of Patsy and Here Comes the Sun

“Swift River is a tender coming-of-age novel, a story of grief both personal and historical, one told with warmth and humor by a memorable, irrepressible heroine. Essie Chambers writes powerfully about the bonds of family, the many ways people fail and save one another, and the human instinct for resilience.”—RUMAAN ALAM, author of National Book Award finalist Leave the World Behind

“Swift River is a fearless, cinematic exploration of loss and inheritance, written with fierce urgency and overflowing compassion. From the very first image of river-mud-caked shoes, Diamond’s story—part coming of age, part epistolarian excavation of grief— instantly pulled me in and held me close through an addicting mix of hope and suspense.”—XOCHITL GONZALEZ, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming

“Essie Chambers masterfully weaves this story together, building characters and worlds so real I felt pangs of nostalgia while turning the pages. This is a voice I’d follow anywhere.” —DAWNIE WALTON, author of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev