Discover a sweeping story that will break your heart and mend it again, perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Vanishing Half.'I love a novel this much maybe just once or twice a year.' - Curtis Sittenfeld, author of
RODHAM and
ROMANTIC COMEDY'A beautiful multi-generational story of belonging, identity and what it means to find yourself when you've lost your family.
Sentence by sentence, the writing can take your breath away.' - Elizabeth Day, author of
FRIENDAHOLICWhat if the price of moving forward is losing the only family you've ever known? Summer, 1987. On the sweltering streets of the dying New England mill town of Swift River, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newbury is desperately lonely. It's been seven years since her father disappeared, and while her mother is determined to move on, Diamond can't distance herself from his memory. When Diamond receives a letter from a relative she has never met, she unearths long-buried secrets of her family's past and discovers a legacy she never knew she was missing. The more she learns, however, the harder it becomes to reconcile her old life with the one she wants to lead.
So begins an epic story spanning the twentieth century that reveals a much larger picture of prejudice and love, of devotion and abandonment - and will change Diamond's life forever.
'Told with warmth and humor by
a memorable, irrepressible heroine.' - Rumaan Alam, author of
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND'Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.' - Ann Napolitano, author of
HELLO BEAUTIFUL'Infused with that satisfying feeling one gets when you realize the missing piece to the puzzle is a sense of self . . . a
sensational debut.' - Paul Beatty, author of
THE SELLOUT Industry Reviews
Just
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!
A fearless, cinematic exploration of loss and inheritance,
written with fierce urgency and overflowing compassion . . .
an addicting mix of hope and suspense.
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.Diamond is a character to fall in love with - and an equal magic of Chambers' warm, deft and humane narration is the way that we come to see, through just one girl, her fractured family and her shards of community . . .
the story of Swift River will go straight to your heart - it's a really special book.Swift River is a deeply intimate, corporeal story about the secrets that we keep and the secrets kept from us.
Essie Chambers is a sublime writer - with Diamond, she has crafted a narrative voice that is both wise and naive, generous yet restrained.
Aching with want and drive from the first page, this is a novel that delivers on all of its promise.
