06 Jul Review: Swift River
Swift River
Written by Essie Chambers
Simon & Schuster, 2024
ISBN: 9781668027912 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781668027943 (eBook)
$36.99 CAD (hardcover)
$17.99 CAD (eBook)
304 pages
Ages: Adult
Review by: Andrew Desrochers
Since the disappearance of her father seven years ago, sixteen-year-old Diamond Newberry is the only Black person left in Swift River. Through correspondence with her father’s cousin Lena, Diamond learns of the night Swift River became a “sundown town” and about the family she never knew, driven from their homes. An excellent read for teenagers and adults alike, Chambers’s writing is accessible and affecting. Set in the late 80s, Swift River is a fictional novel heavily inspired from author Essie Chambers’ own lived experience. It is a coming-of-age story of mother-daughter relationships, intergenerational connection, and identity that is underrepresented in today’s literature. Swift River is a necessary addition to the shelves of public and high-school libraries alike.