Essie

Chambers

Bestselling Novelist

Award-Winning Independent Producer

Travels from: New York, NY

“A sparkling debut about a young girl you’ll never forget… Chambers weaves irony and gut-punch emotion throughout this gorgeous debut.” — Washington Post

Essie Chambers is an author and award-winning independent producer. Her bestselling debut novel, Swift River—a Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick—won the 2024 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, Elle, and more. It won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award, among others. A former TV executive turned filmmaker, Essie produced the Oscar-shortlisted documentary Descendant, released by the Obamas’ Higher Ground and Netflix. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and has received fellowships from MacDowell, the Vermont Studio Center, and Baldwin for the Arts. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Essie's Featured Titles

Swift River

Simon & Schuster |

June 4, 2024

Literary Fiction

Longlisted for The Center for Fiction 2024 First Novel Prize

A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK | A National Bestseller | A Most Anticipated Book from Today, Real Simple, Time, Los Angeles Times, and BookPage

“The book we all need to revive our souls” (Nicole Dennis-Benn): A sweeping family saga about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the disappearance of a father, and the long-hidden history of a declining New England mill town.

“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

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 that 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 story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.

Bestseller, BIPOC Representation, Black Voices, Book Club & Library Favorites, Fiction, Parenting & Families

Grief and Loss

Second Acts

“A mesmerizing account of inherited trauma in what was once a sundown town. Diamond is a gutsy girl with a keen intellect and an irrepressible, hopeful outlook, and her often-humorous narration is the novel’s central, propelling force. Chambers masterfully delivers the message of Swift River: ‘Our instincts, our deepest intuitions, are really our ancestral memory; our people speaking through us.” — BookPage

“A heartbreaking, yet hopeful coming of age story about the high cost of family secrets.” — Time

“Powerful… Chambers’s sharply observed characters butt up against one another in funny and poignant ways. Diamond’s unexpected friendship with another girl propels the story in surprising directions, but it is Diamond’s fraught relationship with her mother that forms the heart of this ultimately hopeful coming-of-age story.” — The New Yorker

“Poetic and propulsive.” — NPR

“Rich and insightful… Chambers is particularly skilled at depicting the way frustration and affection intertwine…. A frank examination of family mystery and loss, set in a landscape of economic and racial turmoil.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Chambers’ funny debut is set in a 1980s New England mill town in decline. Seven years after her father’s disappearance, Diamond Newberry and her mother are struggling, but Diamond’s observations provide comic leavening. During the summer of 1987, her mom files to have Pop declared dead, which is when things get complicated. Diamond receives a letter from an unknown relative, which starts her on a path to learn her family — and the nation’s — history.” — The Los Angeles Times

“Insightful, moving, and wryly funny, Chambers’ debut is sure to be a book club favorite.” — Booklist, starred review

“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.” — Kirkus

“A powerful novel about how our family history shapes us; it is only when Diamond learns about the women that came before her—their strengths and losses mirroring her own—that she can finally imagine a better future for herself. Swift River broke my heart, and then offered me hope.” — Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

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Honors, Awards & Recognition

2025 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence Winner
Honor Book Award for Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association
2024 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Winner
56th NAACP Image Awards Nominee
Longlisted for the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
Longlisted for The Center for Fiction 2024 First Novel Prize
2024 New England Book Award Finalist
2025 Libby Awards Finalist
Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick
National Bestseller
Most Anticipated Book from Today, Real Simple, Time, Los Angeles Times & BookPage
MacDowell Fellowship Winner
Vermont Studio Center Fellowship Winner
Baldwin for the Arts Fellowship Winner
Swift River was named a Best Book of the Year by:
Washington Post
NPR
Boston Globe
Elle
San Francisco Chronicle
Real Simple
Woman’s World