River Mumma
by Zalika Reid-Benta
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Pub Date Aug 22 2023 | Archive Date Aug 29 2023
Penguin Random House Canada | Penguin Canada
Description
Issa Rae's Insecure with a magical realist spin: River Mumma is an exhilarating contemporary fantasy novel about a young Black woman who navigates her quarter-life-crisis while embarking on a mythical 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 into ancestral ties. It is a homage to Jamaican storytelling by one of the most invigorating voices in Canadian literature.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780735244764 |
| PRICE | CA$24.95 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 256 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Holley C, Librarian
Zalika Ried-Benta is a master in her craft. The fantastical elements blend brilliantly with the reality of Toronto and the folk lore of Jamaica. I loved learning about the Jamaican folk lore through this engaging story. I will read anything reid-benta writes!
Solace S, Reviewer
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.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Pamela Samuels Young; Dwayne Alexander Smith
Multicultural Interest, Mystery & Thrillers, Romance
