Essie Chambers’ Swift River is the winner of the Barnes & Noble’s 2024 Discover Prize, given annually to a debut novel, the bookseller announced in a news release.
Chambers’ novel, published in June by Simon & Schuster, follows Diamond, a teenage girl and the only person of color in her crumbling New England mill town, who receives a letter from a distant relative, causing her to explore her family history. A critic for Kirkus wrote of the novel, which was previously longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, “Call your book club: This symphonic debut is your next read.
“There is an undeniable thrill that comes with finding a new author with so much promise,” said Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt in a statement. “Essie Chambers is a perfect example—it was clear from the very first page that this book was something to be celebrated.”
Chambers prevailed over five other finalists: Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr!, Tammy Armstrong’s Pearly Everlasting, Abraham Chang’s 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers, Lottie Hazell’s Piglet, and Elizabeth O’Connor’s Whale Fall.
The Discover Prize, which comes with a cash award of $10,000, is voted on by Barnes & Noble’s booksellers. Previous winners include Tess Gunty for The Rabbit Hutch and Amanda Peters for The Berry Pickers.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
