Swift River: A Novel
A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A National Bestseller | Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | One of The Washington Post's Best Books of 2024 | An NPR Best Book of 2024 | An Elle Best Book of 2024 | A Boston Globe Best Book of 2024 | An NAACP Image Award Nominee
“A book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A “powerful novel…[that] broke my heart, and then offered me hope” (Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful) about a complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.
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 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 “sparkling” (The Washington Post), “poetic, and propulsive” (NPR) debut of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.
“A book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A “powerful novel…[that] broke my heart, and then offered me hope” (Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful) about a complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.
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 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 “sparkling” (The Washington Post), “poetic, and propulsive” (NPR) debut of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.
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Community Reviews
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.
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