A review by heathero621
Swift River by Essie Chambers

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book is about a young woman named Diamond.  She lives in Swift River, which is a very white town and Diamond and her family haven't really been accepted there.  Diamond's dad disappears and now it is many years later and Diamond and her white mom are trying to declare him dead.  At this same time Diamond's dad's sister has gotten in touch with Diamond to explain more about their family history.  The story goes back and forth in time and it wasn't hard to follow.  I thought that the letters from Clara didn't flow with the story as much as the other parts, but I understood why the author wanted to add them into the story.  There is no resolution about the dad and I wished that there was.  I liked Diamond's character and the relationship between her and her parents even thought it isn't the greatest.  There are other parts of the book that I wasn't a big fan of, but I did think that it was an enjoyable read.