Absorbing … This merging of sitcoms, sadness and generational trauma is emblematic of how Chambers weaves irony and gut-punch emotion throughout this gorgeous debut. With the sharp and curious Diamond at its vivid center, Swift River has a real sense of humor. Absurdity and loss sit side by side in her mental gymnastics … The book brims with gemlike sentences, striking imagery, metaphors and juxtapositions … Shimmers and shines with acute observations and carefully crafted lines like these. It’s basic to get lost in the artistry and sheer volume of those mental images and similes; like poetry, they take time to process.
