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A review by annemaries_shelves
River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I enjoyed this book. It felt really grounded in Toronto and I loved the inclusion of Jamaican folklore as a magical realism-type element. Our three primary characters were fun and had great chemistry together - you could absolutely buy them as colleagues turned friends thrown together to steal back a comb for an ancient water deity in less than 24 hours. They all had their little character development moments, though I would have loved to see more of Alicia's by the end as she now seems to have a better sense of purpose in life. That said, she was my favourite - I related to some of her quarter-life crisis feelings (even if we had very different experiences overall) and she had real strength of character in some pretty fucked up moments.
River Mumma herself was very cool - I think it's difficult to portray a deity on page and Reid-Benta generally succeeded in emphasizing that sense of awe, respect, and frustration with a figure like River Mumma. And the duppies were scary - I'd lose my shit if I came face to face with any of them, but especially the Whooping Boy.
Overall, I think the author had a fun time with this story and so did I!
Also it's set in winter, which I was <i>not</i> expecting... I totally thought it was a summer book! If you're looking for a readalike, I think there's some similar vibes and general plot points between River Mumma and VenCo by Cherie Dimaline. There are significant differences between the two, but that overarching idea of a young woman stuck in her life who ends up tasked with something of a magic-adjacent nature and goes on a somewhat dangerous adventure... those books remind me of each other.
CW: mentions of slavery, violence/blood/emesis on page
River Mumma herself was very cool - I think it's difficult to portray a deity on page and Reid-Benta generally succeeded in emphasizing that sense of awe, respect, and frustration with a figure like River Mumma. And the duppies were scary - I'd lose my shit if I came face to face with any of them, but especially the Whooping Boy.
Overall, I think the author had a fun time with this story and so did I!
Also it's set in winter, which I was <i>not</i> expecting... I totally thought it was a summer book! If you're looking for a readalike, I think there's some similar vibes and general plot points between River Mumma and VenCo by Cherie Dimaline. There are significant differences between the two, but that overarching idea of a young woman stuck in her life who ends up tasked with something of a magic-adjacent nature and goes on a somewhat dangerous adventure... those books remind me of each other.
CW: mentions of slavery, violence/blood/emesis on page
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Slavery