Essie Chambers’ Swift River is the latest pick for Jenna Bush Hager’s Today show book club.
Chambers’ debut novel, scheduled for publication next Tuesday by Simon & Schuster, follows Diamond Newberry, a 16-year-old biracial girl who is the only person of color in the crumbling New England town where she lives. She connects with the family of her father, who disappeared seven years ago.
A critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “This novel’s assured plotting and emotional resonance should render it a breakout book. Call your book club: This symphonic debut is your next read.”
Hager announced the novel’s selection on the Today show, saying, “I love this coming-of-age story that’s wrapped up in a sweeping family saga.…It is so good. It is hopeful, beautiful; it is a story about race, identity, family, and, ultimately, hope and love.”
Chambers told Today.com that she wanted readers to consider what people like Diamond experience in their lives.
“I feel like the Diamonds of the world often don’t get to be the center of a story and they’re not humanized,” she said. “I wanted readers who were Diamond to feel seen and heard and respected. I wanted people who aren’t like her to have real empathy and understand what it feels like to move through the world in her body.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
