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Swift River  By  cover art

Swift River

By: Essie Chambers
Narrated by: Shayna Small, Janina Edwards, Robin Miles
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Publisher's summary

A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A Most Anticipated Book from Today, Real Simple, Time,Los Angeles Times, and BookPage

“The book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A sweeping family saga about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.

“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.”Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

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 that 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 story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

©2024 Essie Chambers (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Dear Listener,

How did my own family history influence my debut novel?
"I’ve always been haunted by the holes in my family tree. On the white side of my family, I can trace my ancestry all the way back to a founding father. But like so many Black Americans, I’m unable to go back further than a few generations on my father’s side. I wanted to write about someone who went from being rootless and without knowledge of where their family came from to rooted and transformed by their history. Swift River is, in many ways, an ancestor story, while also paying homage to my ancestors who made the Great Migration from rural Georgia."– Essie Chambers, writer of Swift River

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