I don’t remember the last time I finished a piece of fiction. I tend to read inspirational self-help books (you can shop my favorites here) but Swift River by Essie Chambers made me a believer again.
Swift River is so fucking good. Like, it’s so good. You really have to read it. The main character Diamond is the first fat character that I have ever read that actually felt real to me. Again, I don’t read a lot of fiction so it’s possible that lots of authors and books are properly capturing the fat experience nowadays but this was my first time reading a fat character that actually felt like a real one. She says things that are hard to accept and painful to swallow and it felt like a relief to read someone that felt familiar. Closer than a friend. More like a shadow.
This book moves swiftly through time (see what I did there), telling stories about multiple generations in a family that is split down the lines of a “former” sundown town in Massachusetts. It does a really good job of describing what it’s like to be “the only”- Diamond is the only Black person in the town of Swift River and she is descended from another woman who was also once the only Black person in the same town. Even if you’re not Black and have never been the only, everybody feels isolated sometimes and Swift River does a really good job of capturing the complexity of what it is to want to know and accept your whole, unique self while also wanting to be accepted by your community. I think that dichotomy leads to a lot of anxiety and friction in life, and Swift River really punches at the heart of that particular intersection of identity.
Check out my interview with Swift River’s author Essie Chambers- In the interview, we dive deep on a lot of the book’s themes like internalized and systemic racism, fatphobia, and the narratives we choose to believe about our chosen and genetic lineages.
You’ll also find some journal prompts based on questions that came up for me while I was reading Swift River. I hope they offer further insight for your reflection and digestion and I hope you’ll share in the comments what Swift River and these journal prompts stirred up for you.
I love you. Have a great day.
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