Indies Introduce

Fiction

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  Swift River, Essie Chambers
  Simon & Schuster, 9781668027912, June 4, 2024 (Fiction)
  

  “In gorgeous and fiery language, Chambers invites us into Diamond Newberry’s world. The only Black person left in Swift River after Pop’s mysterious disappearance. Diamond thinks she stands out for all of the wrong reasons. Getting her license will solve one of those problems, but it's also one more thing Diamond and her mother disagree on. As Diamond gains confidence through driving and learns more about the history of her family and Swift River, she begins to imagine something different for herself. Where will that imagination take her now?”

  —Lisa Swayze, Buffalo Street Books, Ithaca, NY
  
  

  “A debut novel this assured, confident, and powerful is a rare event, but Swift River proves that Essie Chambers has arrived with the force of a thunderbolt. The world conjured here — a world where the aches, angst, and awkwardness of adolescence mix with the pain of poverty and loss — feels so lived-in and authentic that you can’t help but step inside Diamond’s life. Its portrait of a late 1980s western Massachusetts sundown town is a refreshingly honest addition to the mosaic of American small-town life. Swift River is already a favorite of 2024, but I can’t wait to see what Essie Chambers does next.”

  —Steve Iwanski, Charter Books, Newport, RI
  

  “A beguiling debut novel that introduces us to Diamond Newberry, a young and courageous biracial woman who is learning about herself and her family. Truly a delight. I can’t wait to read more from Essie Chambers.”

  —Kelly Evert, Village Books & Paper Dreams, Bellingham, WA