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A review by kelly_e
River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Title: River Mumma
Author: Zalika Reid-Benta
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: August 22, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Mythical • Energetic • Original
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Alicia has been out of grad school for six months. She has no career prospects and lives with her mom, who won’t stop texting her macabre news stories and reminders to pick up items from the grocery store.
Then, one evening, the Jamaican water deity, River Mumma, appears to Alicia, telling her that she has twenty-four hours to scour the city for her missing comb.
Alicia doesn’t understand why River Mumma would choose her. She can’t remember all the legends her relatives told her, unlike her retail co-worker Heaven, who can reel off Jamaican folklore by heart. She doesn’t know if her childhood visions have returned, or why she feels a strange connection to her other co-worker Mars. But when the trio are chased down by malevolent spirits called duppies, they realize their tenuous bonds to each other may be their only lifelines. With the clock ticking, Alicia’s quest through the city broadens into a journey through time—to find herself and what the river carries.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Discovering new voices in Canadian literature is one of several guiding forces behind what books I am picking up, so it will come as no surprise I was excited to be gifted an advanced reader copy of River Mumma. I knew very little, beyond the magical aspect, about what this book was about prior to picking it up and I would have that was a gift in itself.
Spanning a single day, the author combines Jamaican folklore with Toronto culture to explore race, gender, ancestral ties, colonialism, eco-existentialism, and desire. The idea of reconnecting with our ancestry and histories appealed to me on so many different levels and the author is able to combine the MCs current reality with magical elements of her past in such a fascinating way. The exploration of diasporic community is equally interesting.
I also listened to the audio while reading and it was absolutely fantastic narrated by Tymika Tafari. The narrator brings the characters to live and livens the story in such an entertaining way. I was engaged throughout the entire story.
River Mumma is a a whirlwind coming-of-age adventure and a love letter to the city of Toronto. As someone who lived there for close to a year, I could easily picture so many of the areas the characters explore. And of course, the many references to traffic and transit struggles had be chuckling to myself. Reid-Benta has a fantastic story-telling ability and I will definitely be keeping an eye on this emerging voice in Canadian literature.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• the city of Toronto
• Jamaican folklore
• quests
⚠️ CW: slavery, racism, violence, murder, death, injury/injury detail, blood, vomit, cursing, colonization, cultural appropriation, classism
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Water heals, water nourishes, water has power."
"I'm in a cab, the TTC is down... yes, again."
Author: Zalika Reid-Benta
Genre: Magical Realism
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: August 22, 2023
I received a complimentary eARC from Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted
T H R E E • W O R D S
Mythical • Energetic • Original
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Alicia has been out of grad school for six months. She has no career prospects and lives with her mom, who won’t stop texting her macabre news stories and reminders to pick up items from the grocery store.
Then, one evening, the Jamaican water deity, River Mumma, appears to Alicia, telling her that she has twenty-four hours to scour the city for her missing comb.
Alicia doesn’t understand why River Mumma would choose her. She can’t remember all the legends her relatives told her, unlike her retail co-worker Heaven, who can reel off Jamaican folklore by heart. She doesn’t know if her childhood visions have returned, or why she feels a strange connection to her other co-worker Mars. But when the trio are chased down by malevolent spirits called duppies, they realize their tenuous bonds to each other may be their only lifelines. With the clock ticking, Alicia’s quest through the city broadens into a journey through time—to find herself and what the river carries.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Discovering new voices in Canadian literature is one of several guiding forces behind what books I am picking up, so it will come as no surprise I was excited to be gifted an advanced reader copy of River Mumma. I knew very little, beyond the magical aspect, about what this book was about prior to picking it up and I would have that was a gift in itself.
Spanning a single day, the author combines Jamaican folklore with Toronto culture to explore race, gender, ancestral ties, colonialism, eco-existentialism, and desire. The idea of reconnecting with our ancestry and histories appealed to me on so many different levels and the author is able to combine the MCs current reality with magical elements of her past in such a fascinating way. The exploration of diasporic community is equally interesting.
I also listened to the audio while reading and it was absolutely fantastic narrated by Tymika Tafari. The narrator brings the characters to live and livens the story in such an entertaining way. I was engaged throughout the entire story.
River Mumma is a a whirlwind coming-of-age adventure and a love letter to the city of Toronto. As someone who lived there for close to a year, I could easily picture so many of the areas the characters explore. And of course, the many references to traffic and transit struggles had be chuckling to myself. Reid-Benta has a fantastic story-telling ability and I will definitely be keeping an eye on this emerging voice in Canadian literature.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• the city of Toronto
• Jamaican folklore
• quests
⚠️ CW: slavery, racism, violence, murder, death, injury/injury detail, blood, vomit, cursing, colonization, cultural appropriation, classism
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Water heals, water nourishes, water has power."
"I'm in a cab, the TTC is down... yes, again."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Racism, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Cursing, Cultural appropriation, and Classism