This novel gives an insight into some Jamaican mystical beliefs. It was a fascinating story that kept me engaged until the end. The River Mumma was a captivating but formidable personality in her various transformations. I admit there were times when the dialogue or explanations wiritten in Jamaican patois was difficult to understand. But while I found this distracting I found the story itself remained understood.

Picture this - you've just woken up in your bed and blink your eyes for the first time that day. All your surroundings a foreign and you don't even know you're you. But with a second blink everything comes into focus and you are you again, ready to start the day.

River Mumma felt like that for me. The setting is a place I know well - the streets of Toronto - but at the same time are all completely foreign. Even Alicia's attitude and current outlook - the millennial ennui if you will, are feelings I feel deeply (as also a new grad looking to work in publishing). But as soon as she took off her guard bracelet, we're transported into a world all her own.

I've never read anything from Jamaican folklore before and am so grateful that I was able to experience the richness of the culture through this novel. The writing was so vivid and graceful you can tell a lot of thought went in to every creative choice.

Can't wait to read more from this author!

I went into the book very excited knowing it was based in Toronto Canada. Being a Canadian who hadn’t been to Ontario I was looking forward to reading the book and hearing about the city without even being there I thought was neat. And then to learn about a folk tale I have never heard about before was fun.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it thru the book. It was not able to hold my interest and I had to put it down.

River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta moves like the waterway of the title. The novel is a brilliant and beautiful telling of a Caribbean folktale involving a powerful female deity, River Mumma, who controls water.

The novel moves quickly, but it is not always constant. It can burble like a brook, and enchant you with its depiction of the evolving friendship of the three main characters. Other times, the action of the plot moves swiftly like a stream, getting faster and faster as the deadline to return a priceless object gets ever closer.

The book is much like a river as well, where what is happening on the surface is not necessarily what is happening in the depths. Superficially, it could be said the novel is about friendship, believing in yourself and your own abilities & potential, and is a well-told supernatural action tale.

But River Mumma is so very much more. It's about the impact of colonialism through generations, reparations, honouring your ancestors, and how tales that are forbidden to be told will still find a voice.

As a Canadian I also love that it is so identifiably set in Toronto. I can recognize all the subway stops and many of the key settings. It's awesome!

I am not a Black Canadian so I won't speak for that community. But I was so appreciative of the glimpses and insights into that community this book offers. (I cringed a few times, and really hoped I wasn't "that person"). I felt like I learned so much and I'm grateful for that.

River Mumma is also a cautionary tale about climate change, environmental degradation and our naive and ignorant belief that water is infinite. It is a warning that we are squandering one of the world's greatest resources, perhaps its most important resource. It offers a view into what our world and societies could look like and be like, if the rivers ran dry.

River Mumma is a truly wonderful book. I am still thinking about it, long after I read the last page. I'm grateful to Zalika Benta-Reid for writing this lovely novel and for NetGalley for the advance copy.

River Mumma is a captivating, magical realist novel by Toronto-based writer Zalika Reid-Benta. Seamlessly interweaving Jamaican folklore into a contemporary Toronto setting, Reid-Benta takes readers on a mesmerizing journey.

The story revolves around Alicia, a second-generation Caribbean Canadian millennial whose life hasn't panned out as she had hoped. Still residing with her mother and working in retail, Alicia's frustrations with her dead-end existence change drastically. Unexpectedly, she is thrust into a time-sensitive quest to recover a missing item for a Jamaican water deity.

This novel is an exhilarating, fast-paced read. While it is tempting to constantly Google Jamaican folklore references, I found myself so engrossed in the narrative that I (the self-proclaimed 'rabbit hole reading queen') never once paused to research. Reid-Benta skillfully makes her story accessible to all readers, even those unfamiliar with Jamaican culture or folklore like myself.

One of the highlights of River Mumma is Zalika Reid-Benta's fresh and engaging narrative voice, which breathes new life into traditional folklore and legends. Her contemporary take on age-old tales adds a unique perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy of this novel, scheduled for public release in August 2023. If you are up for something different, River Mumma is definitely worth checking out.

The story centres around Alicia, who, after experiencing a spiritual connection with a guest at her coworker Heaven’s party, encounters River Mumma, a deity from Jamaican folklore who protects and oversees the Island’s waters. What follows is a less than 24-hour hunt for River Mumma’s golden comb, a quest is filled with run-ins with duppies (the Jamaican term for ghost), setbacks, and even interactions with a certain Toronto rapper. Throughout the story, Alicia grows to realize that this quest is more than an inconvenience on her life (which already hasn’t gone to plan), but is a huge privilege and honour that connects her to her ancestors and uncovers deeper connections to those around her.

This was an interesting one for me and kind of tricky because it’s not my normal genre. The characters were endearing, had a strong chemistry, and I was really rooting for them. As a second generation Jamaican woman, a lot of the patois and uniquely Jamaican language and interactions were extremely relatable. And as a Toronto native, it was fun to read a book that was so deeply rooted in Toronto culture and references. That said, some of the plot seemed a bit far reaching and unrealistic, even though it does have a lot of fantasy elements. And while this book is dedicated to Afro-Caribbean girls, Toronto Black girls, and those apart of the diaspora, it was quite niche in its references and details. The writing also needs a bit of polishing.

Overall 3.5/5. I do believe others will enjoy, even if they don’t understand all the references, language, and history. And I admire the author for really zeroing in on her audience, telling a really unique story of ancestry, connection, history, and being open to opportunities we never saw coming — and don’t fit into our specific vision for our future.

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy :)

Fast-paced and tense.

Alicia thinks her life is not on track. Since graduating from university, things haven't fallen into place as she's expected. She's working at a retail store with two people that aren't quite friends. And aren't quite not friends either. At a party Alicia meets Oni, who gives her a reading that indicates everything is about to change for her. And oh boy, does it ever.

The twists and turns just never stop. Very satisying read.

I have been eagerly awaiting Zalika Reid-Benta's new book and it did not disappoint! The story was captivating, well-paced, and very enjoyable to read. Jamaican folklore is not something I have read in many books and I think this was a great way of incorporating it into a contemporary setting and story.

I also love the setting of Toronto and Reid-Benta did a great job with setting descriptions and little quips about living in Toronto (which subway station has the best Jamaican patties?). She reminds me of Lizelle Sambury a bit in that way, two young Caribbean-Canadian authors with a deep love for Toronto and make an effort to embed this city into their stories. Excited for this book to come out!

River Mumma was hands down a 5 star read. I could not put this down. The pacing was fast and the story kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the juxtaposition of the Canadian Big City setting with the Jamaican mythological creatures and the pure chaos that ensued!

The novel tells the story of a group of friends, twenty-something Canadians with Jamaican heritage, reluctantly being swept up into a quest, full of ancestral visions, tasked with a seemingly impossible task to return the golden comb of the fabled Jamaican diety: River Mumma. The story unfolds in the familiar streets of Toronto, including everyday obstacles such as getting around in the big city. As a Canadian reader, I enjoyed the locales and the interactions between the friends, as grow from reluctant to faithful of their commitments to each other. The relationships and respect the protagonists had with their mothers in navigating Jamaican lore and obeah (similar but different to Haiti’s voodoo) brought an interesting source of knowledge to the table when it was most needed. I thought of Stephen King a few times while reading this, I hope he reads this book! This is a fun filled story. I enjoyed reading! 4 out of 5 stars.

River Mumma isn't categorized as young adult but that's what it smells like. I pushed through it as it felt fresh, but it's so patchy that the aftertaste is quite fishy.

Three friends are going on a quest to retrieve an item stolen from a titular deity who threatens to wreak havoc if deadlines aren't met. Our protagonist, mid-twenties Alicia, is chosen for the mission and starts having visions taking her back to the times of her ancestors. She is joined by her work friends; a guy who doesn't want to do it a solid 95% of the time and a girl she barely interacted with before an unexplained change of heart. Heaven is as ambitious as Hermione, but acts like a teenage girl sipping frappuccinos at Starbucks. There are a lot of references to well known sagas, even Sailor Moon so it's a plus when an author can give us a hug of familiarity while taking us into the unknown.

The book shines at its unknown. Jamaican folklore tales are so thrilling and River Mumma is one bad girl! Our lackluster heroes are often interrupted by duppies, spirits roaming the earth with their unfinished businesses. Their interactions are real page turners and I loved to learn more about Jamaican culture as Greek gods are way overexploited.

I live in Toronto, so my imagination didn't run wild while reading descriptions of surroundings as I know those places by heart. No doubt I'll think of the book while passing beside the downtown hotel or running by local rivers and it's lovely, but I have a feeling that the author didn't know where to stop this local patriotism. Some things will feel weird for foreigners and the last chapter of the story is just pure sadness. There was absolutely no need to make it "so lit". Maybe I just look at it from different perspectives and Zalika didn't want anything more from her first novel, but it's a magical realism book, it shouldn't feel so claustrophobic.

It was a relatively quick, innovative read, but I wouldn't mind a hundred more pages, just so we can actually learn who the leading girl is as she is completely stripped of having any personality. Hoping the author will find her footing and improve her writing with the next book, one I'll happily reach for.

This was a quick, fun read that gives you a look into Jamaican folklore and follows a young women as she is finding her place in life.

I found this a bit difficult to get into, but once I was in, I was in.

Alicia is a young Jamaican-Canadian woman who feels stuck, unable to reach the career levels of her peers and unsure of what her next step is. But one night while coming home from a party, River Mumma appears and sends her on a quest. Over the next 24 hours, she'll explore her past, encounter dangerous spirits, strengthen her friendships, battle Toronto's notoriously unreliable transit system, and learn that she's ready to tackle anything she puts her mind to.

This novel is such a fun and magical ride through Jamaican culture and folklore and Toronto itself. I love the Jamaican folklore in this novel, especially as it's not folklore I'm familiar with. There's so much to learn and explore here. Being from Toronto myself, I also love how deeply rooted in Toronto this novel is, and how familiar many of the experiences will be for any Torontonian. I think this will be a particularly special reading experience for those who exist at the centre of the same Venn diagram as the characters, but there's so much to learn and gain from reading this even if your lived experiences are outside of that.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wished I had read something about River Mumma folklore and duppies before reading the book. It took a bit to figure out reality of the references. The couple of mentions about aliens were a little confusing, I didn't know if I was missing something with that addition. I think, I would have understood people questioning their spiritual beliefs, instead of aliens.

I did appreciate being exposed to more of the Jamaican culture.

River Mumma is about a young woman named Alicia who is struggling with where she currently is in life. Having freshly graduated, Alicia has not found the job or life she thought she would have at this point, and struggles to find purpose and meaning as she watches those around her moving forward with their lives. After forcing herself to go to a party one evening, she meets River Mumma on her walk home, and she is given a task to complete within a very short time frame. The novel takes off from there.

This story is about self discovery, family, tradition and friendship. With Jamaican folklore woven throughout, it is an intriguing and fun exploration of Jamaican customs and culture, showcasing the beauty and richness therein. We learn more about the story through flashbacks, which are well placed, and the pacing was good. Alicia was also a relatable character in that we have all felt we aren’t where we should be at some point in our lives. Her struggles and problems felt real and timely. Also, being from Ontario, it was a lot of fun reading about the setting of this novel, Toronto, and being able to picture it all so clearly having been there many times. Overall, I had a really good time with this book.

Read if you like:
✨ Folklore
✨ Magical Realism
✨ Adventure
✨ Fantasy

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

River Mumma made me shiver and laugh out loud. Readers who enjoy magical realism quest stories with a rich sense of place and friendships that feel like home will enjoy this adventure rooted in Jamaican folklore.

Author Zalika Redi-Benta weaves together the chill of the preternatural and winter Toronto, evoking a sense of place that will resonate with Torontonians and those who’ve never tromped the city. Sent on a quest to recover River Mumma’s stolen comb, Alicia and friends are quickly submersed in a treacherous journey through the city and their ancestral history. Mishaps of questionable winter tread and unreliable public transit mimic the uncertainty within any quarter-life-crisis. Frigid winter streets – sometimes empty, sometimes bustling – evoke the swath of solitude between the internal self and community. Malevolent spirits from Jamaican folklore embody the insidious threats that haunt disaporic identities. And throughout it all, River Mumma is waiting, demanding attention to ponderous questions about legacy, identity, and the on-going ripples of human greed.

This was an interesting read. It took me a bit to get into the story but then I found myself completely immersed in the writing and the Jamaican mythology. An angry Jamaican mermaid, a few Canadian millennials, and some evil duppies = a fascinating tale that will send me down a rabbit hole of researching Jamaican folklore. 4 stars.
* I was given an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book, it just wasn’t the type of book for me. I found it weird and I didn’t quite understand what was going on. Maybe it’s just not the genre for me but I couldn’t get into the story. I did enjoy the cross cultural representation and character development. I appreciated the diversity in this novel.

An amazing fusion of Jamaican legend and the Toronto cityscape!

I’ll bet you’ve never read a fantasy novel that incorporated Jamaican folklore in addition to folk medicine and spirituality!

Intrigued?

This is a superb magical realist novel set on the streets of Toronto, Canada, where a millennial Black woman attempts to navigate her quarter-life crisis while on a time-sensitive quest with two friends to recover a missing item for a Jamaican water deity.

It all begins with frustration. Many of us have been there - graduated, yet still not free. Alicia feels tied down by expectations and unable to spread her wings. When an opportunity comes to show Alicia her inner strength and possibilities, she grabs it. And what an adventure it turns out to be! Can Mars, Heaven and Alicia, outrun the unquashable visions, terrifying rolling calves, restless duppies and douens (rhymes with Gwen) to find the golden comb? You’ll have to find out. Maps of Toronto included. Be a good tourist!!!

Readers will be pulled into this captivating, thrilling and fast-paced story, a journey through time, where a young woman, a 2nd generation Caribbean Canadian, finds herself and discovers what the river carries.

While the River Mumma is one of the most told tales in Jamaica, this version by a new voice in Canadian literature is not to be overlooked. The patois and Toronto slang will have you reaching to Google what you’ve just read and the examination of cultural appropriation will leave you with plenty to think about. As the adventure ramps up, so will your heartbeat, but you’ll be glad you didn’t miss this dreamy and enchanting spotlight on the Caribbean-Canadian experience.

A great gift for the recently graduated university student who is still searching for their niche and looking to uncover their true identity. A must-read for all those who love fantasy and folklore.

I was gifted this copy by Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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From the Giller-nominated author of Frying Plantain comes an exhilarating magical realist novel about a millennial Black woman who navigates her quarter-life-crisis while embarking on a quest through the streets of Toronto

Alicia has been out of grad school for 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.

River Mumma is a powerful portrayal of diasporic identities and a vital examination of ancestral ties. It is a homage to Jamaican storytelling by one of the most invigorating voices in Canadian literature.

This might be one of the weirdest books that I have ever read….seriously. I really don’t think that I “got it”…at all … am I too old to identify with millennials?????
You might like it, I did not...
I do promise to give HONEST reviews when I take on a book to read.
Sorry, but it's a chance you take.
#shortbutsweetreviews