Swift River

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 FRIENDAHOLIC

What 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

Truly amazing. Such an incredible blend of intimate and epic, so smart and funny and honest and generous-spirited . . . I love a novel this much maybe just once or twice a year. -- Curtis Sittenfeld, author of RODHAM and ROMANTIC COMEDY
Complicated, frank, yet 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
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. 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 LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND
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! -- Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of PATSY and HERE COMES THE SUN
A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope. -- Ann Napolitano, author of HELLO BEAUTIFUL
A fearless, cinematic exploration of loss and inheritance, written with fierce urgency and overflowing compassion . . . an addicting mix of hope and suspense. -- Xochitl Gonzalez, author of OLGA DIES DREAMING
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
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. -- Lucy Caldwell, author of THESE DAYS
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. -- Alex Allison, author of THE ART OF THE BODY
Darkly funny and fiery, heart-breaking and healing, with language so gorgeous I went back to read sentences again and again. A beautiful debut. -- Jacqueline Woodson, author of RED AT THE BONE
Swift River is a novel of great beauty and poignant humor . . . Chambers writes with tremendous wit and wisdom. -- Elizabeth McKenzie, author of THE DOG OF THE NORTH
Deep, fast-moving and beautiful like the best of rivers, this haunting novel of family, race, betrayal and redemption both takes you places and casts light as it flows. I read it in one. A keeper. -- Louisa Young, author of TWELVE MONTHS AND A DAY
Some novels have such a powerful atmosphere that the sense of place and emotional weather stays with you forever . . . Other works have characters so real they seem to exist in similar realms of memory to people or animals known in real life. Great books combine these qualities, and so it is with Essie Chambers' debut novel, Swift River . . . It is magnetic. -- Elke Power Readings AU
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
A brilliant, funny, warm-hearted first novel. -- Curtis Sittenfeld Guardian
Chambers' lyrical prose and rich, evocative descriptions create a vivid sense of place and time, immersing the reader in this expansive story of prejudice and love. Glamour
Anyone longing to get swept up in another summer read like Where the Crawdads Sing, look no further. Opening in 1987 but spanning multiple generations, this is the story of 16-year-old Diamond, and the mysterious disappearance of her father. i news
Exquisitely written, we are already eagerly awaiting Chambers' next novel. -- Zoe West Woman's Weekly
A debut novel that will make you laugh, cry and think more deeply about the power of storytelling to shape our understanding of the world around us. Diamond is the kind of protagonist you wish you could meet. Smart, funny and fiercely resilient, she's the heart and soul of the book. Irish Sunday Independent

Essie Chambers is an author and award-winning independent producer. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell, Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. Previously, she worked as a television executive, and was a producer on the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Descendant, which was released by the Obamas' Higher Ground production company and Netflix in 2022. Swift River is her debut novel.

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