Swift River: A Read with Jenna Pick

This was a very well-written book about a tragic American family, set against a backdrop of racism and broken family ties. The dialogue was crisp and the voice of the main character was interesting, spoken through the lens of long-held self-blame and wrongly-assumed guilt, coupled with teenage desire to break free. The mom was a broken woman-child, shattered by the leaving of her husband, a coddled man-child. As the story progresses the reader learns about the couple at the center; they’re two people that just flat do not work together, nor do they work as a responsible parental unit. Both are way too self-absorbed and immature. The change in voice near the end was curious. The majority of this tale is told in third person. But at the end, the narrative changes to first person, told from Diamond’s POV. Perhaps this is done to distance the characters at the center of the story, give the perspective of the passage of time? Not sure. But time moved on and family found each other, wounds were healed somewhat. Very interesting, fresh new voice. But very sad.