No real story to intro for this novel. It sounded interesting and worth checking out as a debut author. So, here we are. 

 

Burb courtesy of Goodreads: "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. But that’s not the only reason Diamond stands out: She’s teased relentlessly about her weight, and the fact that 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 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. She is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, spanning the 20th century and revealing 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?" 

 

I'm glad I decided to pick this one up. It was not a fast moving story, despite there actually being quite a bit that happened on page, so I was glad to have the audiobook to move me through. But the slower pace fit the story so well. This is a slice of life novel of a very specific life I’ve never read before, and you know I always appreciate reading for the different things it opens my eyes to.This one was interesting because the setting, that kind of lost in the middle small but not rural town, is honestly a bit like where I live now. And there were many parts that were familiar as a result. Then, there was the fact that this took place in the North, and addressed sundown towns (a situation/reality that I had not heard of specifically, and yet, upsettingly, was not at all surprised by), and was centered on the experiences of an MC whose life looks nothing like my own. And so, the "new" far outweighed the "familiar," though the small details that rang true for me, too, did make the story that much more grounded and affecting. 

 

Sort of related, there is a homeyness to this novel that came very unexpected. There was comfort, even though Diamond's life is nothing like what many would dream for themselves, because the author finds a way to communicate the small sweetnesses in the everyday mundanity and the importance of family connection (even when complicated) when the love behind it is real. One of my favorite aspects of this reading experience was those exact connections. There were so many times that it would have been easy for our characters, Diamond especially, to lean into the hurt and loss and frustration and anger and cut off familial attachments entirely. And she at least does consider it, while some others (her parents, for example) both consider and take some steps in that direction. But there is also a deep well of grace, understanding, and forgiveness - a level of maturity that often we can but aspire to IRL - that allows Diamond, at least, to move forwards with her life (to do and be more) while also maintaining those relationships. That's not to say she has no frustrations, griefs, angers, unfulfilled needs - as we all do - but she never lets that be all of her. And that is something to aspire to. Plus, it makes it that much more satisfying when she gets a fuller ending, one with more promise and opportunity than she ever expected. It feels so deserved; if only real life were more like that. 

 

Look, I get that reading messy stories and characters is entertaining (I enjoy those too), but the occasional novel like this, with its quiet strength, is comforting. Keep in mind though, that I say that this had a comforting vibe, I must also mention that the themes within the story are not at all soft and easy. There is quite a bit of childhood and ongoing trauma (loss of a parent, lack of closure, grief, uncomfortable age/power-differential relationships, poverty/instability, bullying, racism and more). Chambers does a phenomenal job showing the immediate and accumulating effects of all that trauma, but never hits you over the head with it. And she uses some epistolary formatting for historical familial/locational context and to mix up narration in a not-overwhelming way, as well as a little mystery (one with no clear conclusion, but that functions as a coming of age as Diamond comes to terms with not knowing - similar to What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez), to ferry the novel to its conclusion and Diamond towards her future. 

 

I am just so impressed that this novel managed to walk the line of cozy and claustrophobic, as a small town setting, so well. It's such a confusing and human reality, to both love and hate the place and people that made you, and Chambers captures it all here. An impressive debut. 

   

“When you have a terrible thing happen that everyone knows about, you can be laid out flat by anyone.” 

 

“I guess we’re all guilty of looking the other way when something is too sad or shameful to speak on.” 

 

“Your hometown makes you and breaks you and makes you again.” 

 

“She had that specific kind of rootlessness that comes when you're orphaned by two living parents. Where you flit and float, and there is an invisible pull to the earth, but you are jilted by gravity.” 

 

"Aunt Tilly says that our instincts, our deepest intuitions, are really our ancestral memory; our people speaking through us.”