From the critically acclaimed writer of A Different Sun, a Southern coming-of-age novel that sets three very different young people against the tumultuous years of the American civil rights movement...
Tacker Hart left his home in North Carolina as a local high school football hero, but returns in disgrace after being fired from a prestigious architectural assignment in West Africa. Yet the culture and people he grew to admire have left their mark on him. Adrift, he manages his father’s grocery store and becomes reacquainted with a girl he barely knew growing up.
Kate Monroe’s parents have died, leaving her the family home and the right connections in her Southern town. But a trove of disturbing letters sends her searching for the truth behind the comfortable life she’s been bequeathed.
On the same morning but at different moments, Tacker and Kate encounter a young African-American, Gaines Townson, and their stories converge with his. As Winston-Salem is pulled into the tumultuous 1960s, these three Americans find themselves at the center of the civil rights struggle, coming to terms with the legacies of their pasts as they search for an ennobling future.
Praise for
Swimming Between worlds
“The struggle of [the novel’s] deftly-drawn young characters to navigate the monumental changes—cultural and personal— that the civil rights movement brought to the South is rich and compelling.”
— CHARLES FRAZIER,
New York Times bestselling author of Cold Mountain
“A smart and tender tale. I was left with admiration for Orr’s exquisite prose along with an awareness of one simple truth: sometimes it takes living in another culture to better understand your own. A beautiful book.”
— DIANE CHAMBERLAIN,
New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Marriage
“An original and important novel certain to take its place in American literature on race.”
— ANGELA DAVIS-GARDNER,
author of The Plum Wine
“A blistering story told by a gifted writer. From the moment I began this compelling novel, it followed me around; the riveting plot and real-life characters would not let me go.”
— ANNA JEAN MAYHEW,
author of The Dry Grass of August
“Poignant and agonizing, the novel captures the South the moment before the gun went off, prefiguring our current national trauma around race and society.”
— FENTON JOHNSON,
author of The Man Who Loved Birds
“This poignant and triumphant story shows two Americans emerging in a complex time from their own sorrow and displacement to take on political unrest and the turmoils of love.”
— PEGGY PAYNE,
author of Sister India
“A captivating narrative about race, sex, nationality, generations and romance, Orr’s expansive new novel fulfills the promise of her debut tour de force, A Different Sun. Her keen sense of historical impact and geographical detail keeps us reading and hoping for a sequel.”
— VALERIE MINER,
author of Traveling with Spirits
“Intelligently written . . . [a] vivid evocation of a civil rights struggle that has heartbreaking relevance to the here and now.”
— ELEANOR MORSE,
author of White Dog Fell from the Sky
reviews
Richmond Times-Dispatch
“A novel of great humanity, Swimming Between Worlds contains neither a superficial nor a superfluous thought. Conceived with compassion and rendered with grace, it scores a triumph for its author and a blessing for her readers.”
Southern literary review
“This novel comprises the depth and breadth of Orr’s most exquisite and carefully wrought prose. […] Elaine Neil Orr, writer and scholar, not only flies; she soars.”
Historical Novel Society
“Orr’s gracefully written, character-centered tale, showing how beliefs are formed and transformed, is both original and memorable.”
Deep South Review
“Swimming Between Worlds strikes a balance between the visceral wants of the characters and the flow of events in history, giving depth and scale to the demand for equal rights and the pursuit of happiness that is just as relevant today. With this novel, Orr succeeds in injecting romance and a certain hopefulness into a story of one of the most turbulent times in American history without trivializing the historical situation or falling into a pit of white savior complexes. The characters are dynamic, and there is no wasted dialogue or scene in Orr’s efforts to present a view of the prejudices, hesitance and social demands grounded in the realities of segregated America.”
Salt Magazine
”Omnivorous Reader” column by D. G. Martin
“Swimming Between Worlds […] is a coming-of-age story and a love story. These themes are complicated, and enriched, by the overlay of Nigerian struggles and the civil rights protests in Winston-Salem.”
GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD
“Orr’s characters come fully to life, as flawed but essentially good people who, whether they want to or not, begin to re-examine their understanding of the world. Her landscapes come vividly to life as well, whether she’s writing about Nigeria, Winston-Salem, the Piedmont hills or the North Carolina coast. […] Orr offers [a] beautifully wrought lesson about America’s troubled race relations and what it means to follow one’s conscience.”
Wilmington Star News
“A riveting view of North Carolina at the dawn of the civil rights era…”
Watauga democrat
“Set indeed in two worlds, these lives blend, merge and diverge in a sea of wonderful prose and pure storytelling infused with all the right elements marking a fine Southern novel…”