Upgraded Swift River

The engineers know where to find the water that Boston needs, but four towns stand in their way. "I am entirely a creature of my life's sad events, committed to patience now, to endurance if nothing else. I am a part of my surroundings and they are all contained in me. Girl expecting the water," says Polly McPhee, a native of Greenwich, Massachusetts, in 1934.

Swift River is the story of Polly McPhee, a young girl from a small central Massachusetts town that was condemned, along with three others, in 1927 to create a permanent supply of clean water for the people of Boston. The Quabbin Reservoir project was one of the most successful and cost-effective civil engineering projects in history, securing fresh water for millions by drowning the Swift River Valley, once home to the Nipmuc and then to generations of farmers, merchants, artisans, and mill workers.

At the start of this intimate yet far-reaching novel, Polly, who is 12 years old, sees the water project as an especially unfair aspect of an adult world that rarely makes sense to her anyway. As she matures, discovering new joys and suffering a series of profound personal losses, Polly comes to understand that ultimately all of our pasts and memories must be drowned and erased from sight, as thoroughly as Greenwich will be.

Over time, the project assumes an ever more complex and significant role in Polly's life and universe, ultimately becoming a dangerous but powerful ally in her path to survival and redemption. The story explores the profound impact of this massive undertaking on the lives of the people who were forced to sacrifice their homes and communities for the greater good of the city of Boston.

The novel delves into the emotional and psychological toll of displacement, loss, and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in the face of overwhelming change. Polly's journey is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of the human experience, as she grapples with the complexities of her own identity and the ever-shifting landscape of her world.

Through Polly's eyes, the reader is drawn into a powerful and immersive narrative that examines the broader implications of large-scale engineering projects and their impact on the lives of the individuals and communities caught in their wake. The Swift River project becomes a symbol of the relentless march of progress, and Polly's story becomes a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of such profound upheaval.

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