October 23, 2024 (press release) –
Swift River by Essie Chambers is the Bookseller’s Pick
for the Best New Author Published This Year
New York, NY – October 21, 2024 – Barnes & Noble announces Essie Chambers as their 2024 Discover Prize Winner for her novel Swift River. The bookseller made the announcement during a live event hosted this evening at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
“There is an undeniable thrill that comes with finding a new author with so much promise,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble. “Essie Chambers is a perfect example — it was clear from the very first page that this book was something to be celebrated. We could not be more pleased to announce her as the winner of our Discover Prize for 2024.”
Each month, Barnes & Noble selects a debut novel to feature as their Discover Monthly Pick. Booksellers read dozens of books and deliberate over these selections and other debuts, and ultimately select an overall Discover Prize winner. This long-standing program is outstandingly successful in identifying new talent in the literary landscape and has been instrumental in launching the careers of many acclaimed writers. The winner is also awarded a $10,000 cash prize.
“Swift River" is a family saga that is centered around this oddball teenage girl named Diamond Newberry, who is struggling with what it means to be the only person of color in this all-white crumbling New England mill town,” explained author Essie Chambers on Poured Over, the Barnes & Noble podcast. “The novel starts at the beginning of a tumultuous summer for her, when she gets a letter from a relative that she's never met that changes the course of her life. She discovers that her family has secrets, that her town has this hidden history that's also a dark part of American history, and that she has this very powerful ancestral inheritance and legacy. Her journey is about getting to these roots in her family and her history and growing past this world that she's in to become the person she's supposed to be.”
Brick-and-mortar bookstores remain uniquely positioned to introduce and champion new writers. Here is just some of the praise Barnes & Noble booksellers have bestowed upon the winner:
“I haven't met a protagonist as unforgettable as Diamond Newberry since Dolores Price in Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this is a warm, uplifting novel that stole my heart.” — Lexie S., New York, NY
“Diamond’s voice is powerful and direct, with all the emotion and insecurity of any good coming-of-age tale, and keeps you riveted to the page. This is a story about community, family, finding yourself and how sometimes you have to look back into the past to understand where to go in the future.” — Sarah A., Santa Monica, CA
“One of the best books of the year! I found myself being pulled into Diamond's story, her family history and mythology. It winds us around our individual identities, and how our collective pasts shape us.” — Donald K., Glen Allen, MI
“More than just a coming-of-age story, Swift River combines the confusion, humor, and heartbreak of finding out who you are with a hard look at where we’ve been as a country. I can’t recommend this enough.” — Kevin R., Bookseller, Houston, TX
Competition for this year’s Discover Prize was fierce and B&N booksellers across the country have also fallen for the following five finalists, representing some of the best and freshest writing today.
- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
- Pearly Everlasting by Tammy Armstrong
- 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers by Abraham Chang
- Piglet by Lottie Hazell
- Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor
Customers can find Essie Chambers’ Swift River along with the other Discover Award Finalists at their local Barnes & Noble and on bn.com. They can also gush about their favorites on social media using the hashtag #bndiscoverprize.
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