River Mumma

by Zalika Reid-Benta

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.

Energetic and invigorating, River Mumma is a vibrant exploration of diasporic community and ancestral ties, and a homage to Jamaican storytelling by one of the most invigorating voices in today’s literature.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Mythology, Canada, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook

305 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2023

About the author

ZALIKA REID-BENTA is a Canadian writer. Her debut novel RIVER MUMMA has been shortlisted for the 2024 Trillium Book Award and has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist Magazine. RIVER MUMMA is an Amazon Books Editors' Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy and was selected a Best Book of the Month for
Apple Books in February 2024. It was the October 2023 pick for the CityLine book club and has been listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 on numerous platforms, including CBC Books, Indigo Books, Kobo Books and The Walrus.

Reid-Benta's debut short story collection FRYING PLANTAIN won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction in 2020. FRYING PLANTAIN was longlisted for the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and it was shortlisted for the 2020 Toronto Book Award, the 2020 Trillium  Book Award, the 2021 White Pine Award and the 2020 Evergreen Award.

Her picture book, TWELVE DAYS OF JAMAICAN CHRISTMAS illustrated by Mariyah Rahman, will be published in 2025.

Reviews

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

River Mumma is a magical realist novel full of Jamaican folklore, set in Toronto.

After reluctantly attending a party, Alicia is stunned when a Jamaican river deity materializes in front of her, telling her she has twenty-four hours to find her golden comb. Two of Alicia’s coworkers, Mars and Heaven, find themselves joining Alicia on her quest. Heaven knows all the folklore by heart, which will come in handy when things get dicey and rolling calves and duppies start making appearances.

Alicia has dreamlike, out-of-body visions throughout that have her travelling through time.

River Mumma is a fast-paced magical realist novel. I’ve never been to Toronto, but the map and descriptions brought the city to life; it’s almost its own character. I could have used some Tim’s while reading this book.

Generally, I prefer character-driven novels over plot-focused ones, so this was a bit too fast-paced for me but still enjoyable. It has beautiful writing and descriptive imagery in spades.

If you enjoy magical realism and folklore, I think you’ll love this novel.

3.5 rounded up.

Thank you to Penguin Canada for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

[ashlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought I’d love this since I’m a big fan of fantasy and mythology, but it ended up being a miss for me. The premise is great, exploring ancestry and cultural roots through a magical quest but the execution just didn’t hold my interest. It wasn’t necessarily bad, just boring. Some parts felt confusing or didn’t make much sense, and while the characters are in their late 20s, this book is marketed as YA, which felt like an odd choice. Overall, it had potential, but it didn’t quite work for me
I was really excited to read this after winning a giveaway so, thank you to Erewhon Books!

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is clear, Zalika Benta-Reid did this one for the culture and to keep the culture alive! I want more!

Meet Alice, a Black woman living and working in retail in Toronto. Alice was set to be the next big thing in publishing but after graduating she could not find work in the space. Now she is going through a midlife crisis wondering how is it possible she is the only one in her group not employed in publishing and living with her Mom.

In an effort to be more social she says yes to going out with some co-worker. On her way home after taking off her guard bracelet that was given to her by her Jamaican Grandmother, she was visited by River Mumma! River Mumma guards the water, she is known for having a golden comb that she uses on riverbanks. If she spots someone coming, she hides in the water leaving the comb, but those who find it always return it because they know it is River Mumma own. That is until a tourist finds the comb, takes it back to Toronto leaving River Mumma combless and out for revenge.

River Muuma gives Alicia 24 hours to find and return her comb. Alicia is still in shock that a character she grew up being told stories about is actually in front of her, in Toronto. What started off as harmless Jamaican folklore told to her by her Granny in Jamaica turns into real life visions, spirits, duppies, rolling calves and douens! Alicie spends 24 hours around Toronto with her two friends Mars and Heaven trying to find the missing the comb, while battling spirits.

Fast-paced, thrilling, packing with Jamaican folklore, I could not get enough. Growing up in Jamaica where my mother and Granny would tell stories about Riva Muuma, Duppies and Rolling Calf, it was chilling reading about them in the contemporary space. I find that in today’s world we don’t read too much about stories we grew up hearing about so it was truly magnificent reading a book like River Muuma. It is clear that Zalika Benta-Reid did her research and is passionate about keeping folklore alive, relevant and giving a voice to stories we hardly hear today.

I cannot wait for more persons to engage with this book.

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 ½ stars (rounded up)

Great start, meandering middle, satisfying conclusion. Percy Jackson by way of Neil Gaiman, Zalika Reid-Benta's River Mumma is a short yet compelling urban fantasy novel inspired by Jamaican folklore that explores the importance of ancestral ties in the modern world.

Set in Toronto, our main character is Alicia who is very much going through a quarter-life crisis after finishing grad school. she's now 'stuck' in a retail job she neither likes nor is particularly gifted at, and tends to isolate herself from others. Alicia's humdrum existence is brought to a halt by River Mumma, a Jamaican water deity, who appears to Alicia and tasks her with a time-sensitive quest: Alicia has 24 hours to find River Mumma's missing comb. Much like Percy Jackson, Alicia is not alone in her quest. By her side is Heaven, who is very knowledgable in Jamaican folklore, and Mars, whose participation in this possibly life-endangering adventure is reluctant at best. I really liked the banter and friendship between Alicia, Heaven, and Mars, and I also found Alicia's current 'predicament' (feeling lost after finishing grad school, unsatisfied but unable to leave the world of retail), all too relatable. The fantasy elements and the various 'obstacles' that present themselves along the way to finding the comb were imaginative and engrossing. What I did find repetitive and somewhat of a 'filler' were the scenes featuring these flashbacks into Alicia's ancestors. I just thought that they detracted momentum from Alicia's 'present'. Maybe I would have preferred it if these flashbacks weren't so samey, both in their vocabulary and imagery, and I would have felt more of a connection if, like in Reid-Benta's previous novel, the focus had been on her more immediate family (her mother and so on). Still, I did find River Mumma to be a captivating read that succeeds in imbuing a contemporary coming-of-age tale with folklore.

[rae ✿ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books, Erewhon Books and Zalika Reid-Benta for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

I love the idea of this book but the way it was told troubled me. I just simply don't like it.
The pacing felt off and I don't like the writing at all. Way too much slang that I don't understand at all.

The connection between the folklore and the real world was so out of pocket. The author didn't explain why the main character was like that in the first place and it was just beyond confusion.
Everything just didn't work for me.

Also when the spirit granted her a phone at the end cracked me out😭😭😭

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rushing of the water turned to whispers, hisses sounding one word over and over: Alicia, Alicia, Alicia. It became a song. Alicia could hear River Mumma’s voice in the current. Intoxicating and haunting. Waves splashed on the bank, breaking upon Alicia’s feet, encircling her ankles like hands gripping her joints. She felt an ever-so-delicate pull toward the river, and she complied. She should resist, but she couldn’t. She had to listen to what the voice said.

River Mumma was so much more fun than I had expected — it’s a quest story populated with strange and dangerous creatures from Jamaican mythology — and it was also surprisingly meaningful and observant; similar in voice and setting to author Zalika Reid-Benta’s last release, Frying Plantain (once again, this is from the POV of a first generation Jamaican-Canadian living with her protective and hard-working single mother), this has much to say about keeping faith with one’s ancestors and finding meaning in community. This was so cinematic — the “duppies” were terrifying and the Toronto setting was lovingly evoked — and while I tend to agree with the adage that “good books don’t make good movies”, this is the exception: I loved this read and I would love to see it on film. Perhaps this could have been longer and devoted more space to character development and deep analysis, but I love this for what it is and can’t give fewer than full marks. (Note: I read an ARC and passages quoted may not be in their final forms.)

In the time Alicia referred to as Before, things weren’t like this. She wasn’t like this. Four years of undergrad completed in three, another eighteen months in New York earning an MA and founding a graduate lit mag, and internships at two boutique literary agencies. She was on her way to becoming the next Toni Morrison of publishing, only to graduate and discover a wasteland in place of the opportunities she’d been promised. She’d returned to Toronto when her money ran out, applied everywhere, and got no interviews. Now everything seemed pointless, including and especially this party.

At twenty-six, Alicia didn’t think she’d be back living with her mom in Toronto, working a low-paid retail job, suffering a quarter-life crisis of no friends but coworkers, no plans but survival, no growth in sight. She also didn’t think that she would suddenly be once again experiencing the “sight” that gave her such awful nightmares as a child; but this time, in addition to ghostly visions and “journeying” through time and space, Alicia comes face-to-face with one of the most powerful deities of Jamaican folklore: the River Mumma — a mermaid-like guardian of the waters, none too happy about the pollution of the waterways, exploitative extraction, and the diaspora who seem to have forgotten the importance of honouring her — and although Alicia doesn’t think that she has the skills or knowledge base to become the “chosen one”, River Mumma sets her on a quest that will have dire consequences if she should fail. Joined in her quest by two coworkers — Mars and Heaven, who Alicia never really even thought of as friends, but who are also members of the Jamaican-Canadian community — the plot is propulsive with a tight timeline (Alicia must recover River Mumma's stolen golden comb before sunset the next day; around four o’clock on this winter’s day), constant setbacks (including attacks by the duppies who don’t want her to succeed), and Alicia keeps losing time to visions and journeying: but just what is it her ancestors need for her to learn?

She wanted to get up and rally — she’d spent much longer at UC than she’d intended, it was already eleven o’clock and she still had no way of finding the comb — but her body hadn’t finished processing the knowledge her ancestors had decided she should experience first-hand in order to acquire. It was a peculiar thing; to feel such a profound sense of pride in the resistance, in the will to live of the people who came before her, and feel personally lacking in the face of that ability at the same time. She had done nothing with her life. When tasked with a duty, the same kind of duty they’d carried out, she resented the responsibility. Heaven was right. She wasn’t the right person for this job.

Layered on to the quest plot is a nicely nuanced exploration of the malaise of disconnection felt by young people today — and specifically the disconnection felt by Toronto’s Afro-Caribbean community. From learning about the resilience of one’s ancestors to remembering to honour the sacred in one’s daily life, it’s suggested that the cure to existential crisis can be found in strengthening the ties with one’s community; it sure can’t hurt. On top of this, I loved the setting: I don’t live in Toronto but I enjoyed all of the local references — from Timbits and the Cashman (I did laugh when Mars suggested visiting “Oliver’s” to pawn some gold) to aggressive Toronto drivers and taking forever to merge onto the Gardiner — I’ve lived this (even if I wasn’t being chased by a fire-breathing cow) and it brought the story to life for me. There’s much more to this than a fantastical vengeful mermaid, but River Mumma is definitely the star and I am so glad to have learned about her. Reid-Benta knocked this outta the park (which I will always mentally refer to as the SkyDome) and I hope this finds a wide audience.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid debut novel, but not quite great.

This is the story of a Alicia, a young woman in her mid-twenties who is adrift: she is thousands of dollars into debt for a degree she doesn't use, has moved back in with her mother (who keeps texting her macabre news stories and/or items to pick up from the store) and the closest things she has to friends are two colleagues at the retail job she hates. She's not exactly the person you'd expect to be entrusted with a quest by a deity, but that's exactly what happens when River Mumma, the mermaid who controls Jamaica's rivers, orders her to retrieve her stolen comb.

This puts Alicia on a physical journey across the city of Toronto and a spiritual one in her family's past, reclaiming a lost ability she had at birth to see and sense spirits.

The novel is certainly well-written and well-crafted, but overall it lacks a certain spark. The only moments where it really sings are the scenes in which Alicia's spirit travels to a mythical version of Jamaica, where she comes into contact with the line of all the women who came before her.

The biggest issue is, I think, the contrast between the relatively short length, the tight deadline Alicia is given for her quest, the constant attacks by evil spirits that keep the group moving and the fact that this is, at its heart, a character-driven story. The characters are constantly overwhelmed and rushing around, at this doesn't allow for as much character depth and development as the story would need.

Overall this is a good book, and if it wasn't quite good enough to turn the author into an auto-buy one for me, I will certainly be keeping an eye on her future work.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Rincey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relatively short book that feels a little bit like a Percy Jackson-esque book but for someone in their 20s. You have to be willing to suspend disbelief and go along with the mythological elements and it is definitely more plot-based than character based. But I enjoy the author's writing style and some of the ideas explored in here about being a lost 20-something.

[Mai H.]

📖 Thank you to Goodreads and Erewhon Books

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books

[kaitlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of promise but ultimately fell short of the mark.

I enjoyed the magical realism and how Jamaican folklore/legend was incorporated into the story. The protagonist, Alicia, struck a chord with me as I empathized with her struggles to adapt after graduating from university.

Regrettably, the promise of the book wasn't fully realized in its plot. Rather than embarking on an enthralling journey, the plot resembled a lackluster side quest from a video game, the kind that involves mundane tasks to fill time.

The comb is, for all intents and purposes, a MacGuffin. The only reason it’s important is because its owner is a deity, the River Mumma, who has threatened a massive drought if it is not returned by an arbitrary (by their own admission) deadline. This isn’t necessarily bad but it leads to a lack of investment, on the part of the reader, in the goal of the quest. So without a particularly compelling goal, all that’s left is the journey which, unfortunately, isn’t particularly interesting either. Most of the quest to find the comb consists of Alicia, Mars, and Heaven traveling from point A to B.

The main character, Alicia, is never challenged in any way since each obstacle is solved by either looking information up online or running away. Alicia never has to use any particular skills or even be clever to solve a problem or move the quest forward. This in turn led Alicia to lack a certain sense of agency since she’s always just responding to things that happen to her.

Curiously absent is a substantial antagonist since the person who stole the comb doesn’t particularly care about keeping it, while the pursuing duppies merely offer mindless opposition. The duppies sort of just appear whenever the story needed some action but it never feels like they present any significant threat. Every duppy has the same two weakness which is that they must stop to count whatever is thrown in their path and they dislike salt.

The pacing of this story also felt off. One of the reasons for this was how often the story stopped in its tracks to make some little inside joke or reference for fellow Torontonians. While I personally understood the references, I don’t think someone not from Toronto would. I’m surprised they didn’t make a joke about Tim’s iced coffee tasting different every time. Though I lived in Toronto for many years, even I found these asides distracting. It’s not any less annoying than when New Yorkers do it!

The other issue with the pacing was how elements of the story connected, or rather failed to connect, with each other. For example, Alicia experiences visions of the memories of her ancestors. These visions take up a lot of pages and serve to explain Alicia’s ancestors’ connection to River Mumma. However, the visions don’t explain why Alicia, specifically, was chosen for this specific quest since her ancestors have no connection to the comb. The visions provide no information to help Alicia and her friends find the comb. The entire story also takes place within an extremely short time frame (around 24 hours). These two facts combined with how the story starts off pretty slow and takes a while to ramp up, the actual quest to retrieve the comb was given relatively few pages and thus the resolution seemed fairly rushed. In fact, for the first 2/3 of the book, they make no progress on finding who stole the comb (the first step in retrieving the comb), but this is solved for the characters by deus ex machina. So the whole quest takes up only 1/3 of the book.

This book also features a certain Toronto-based celebrity rapper who remains unnamed but it’s extremely obvious who it is. I admit that I found this pretty funny when it was first revealed but the joke quickly got old. It ended up being pretty gimmicky and the whole encounter felt really forced (we’re supposed to believe that this huge celebrity is checking their DM requests 24/7).

Finally, at least half of the dialogue is in Jamaican patois (and/or Toronto slang) and if you, like me, are not fluent, it might take you a second to understand what the characters are saying. This linguistic barrier disrupts the reading flow and comprehension.

In sum, magical realism and the representation of Jamaican culture and folklore shine, yet the weak plot and pacing pitfalls tarnish the overall experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 by the award winning Jamaican Canadian author of Frying plantain and it did NOT disappoint. Set in Toronto, the story features new grad Alicia who is floundering, living with her mother and trying to figure out life.

Walking home one night she stumbles upon a Jamaican water deity, River Mumma, who demands she find and return a comb within 24 hours. What follows is a madcap dash around the city with a couple of her friends as they embark on a mythical quest.

I loved how grounded this debut fiction story felt as it combined magical realism with Jamaican folklore and mythology. Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of books like N K Jemison's The city we became series or Shallow waters by Anita Kopacz.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Librofm for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!!

Zalika is a talented up and coming Canadian author to watch out for and I foresee more award nominations in her future for this latest work of literary fiction!

[Moly]

As a child of immigrants, I absolutely connected with Alicia’s experience not knowing a ton about your heritage and traditions and wanting to know more as you get older. As a lover of myth and folklore, I really enjoyed learning about Jamaican deities.

[Shan Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

DRAAAAAAAKEEEEEE?????

Okay I’m ready for this movie to be filmed, in the city, I’ll be Heaven! Maybe I’m biased, the main characters have Caribbean roots and it’s written in Toronto - I absolutely loved reading this 😭😅

Will enjoy more by the author!

[2TReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I loved this. This is how you write from the diaspora as the diaspora. By incorporating your lived first generation experiences with all you've learned from those who immigrated.

River Mumma on Folklore Day! Very appropriate.
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Reid-Benta's novel highlights the importance of historical and ancestral connection. It speaks to coming into an awareness that time, place, and distance have no bearing on when and how the stories of your ancestors will catch up to you, speak to you, use you. They will come to you through practiced and known rituals, folktales, proverbs, and the people in our lives who serve as anchors.
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Alicia worried and doubted her suitability for this task given to her by the embodiment of flowing waters, River Mumma. She thinks that because she is a diasporan child, she does not have enough of the homeland or community knowledge that those who grow up and live in Jamaica will have by virtue of being steeped in our oral traditions. But as we get to know Alicia, we see the marks left on her by her grandma, who was a woman who though Christian, deeply believed in the folk medicine and spirit world of her country and ancestral heritage.
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She has taken the myth and folkloric glory of River Mumma and brought it to a child of the island living in a concrete jungle. The prose is quick and easy to read. You will love and commiserate with Alicia and her young friends as they go on this quest and learn themselves as well as each other.
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It also doesn't hurt that a certain culture vulture makes an appearance.
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[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! My highly anticipated CanLit book of 2023 did NOT disappoint. I think Zalika’s writing style really shone wonderfully in this book that’s perfectly atmospheric for the fall season.

So much action is jammed into this impossible 24 hour quest that Alicia, Heaven, and Mars are on-to find River Mummy’s comb, or else she’ll be gone from this world and her rivers with her, impacting so many lives.

Magical realism, Jamaican folklore, and an epic-like tale is wrapped up into this beautiful book that’s a must-read. And can we talk about this fictionalized Drake figure? I love it 😂. The setting is perfect for us Torontonians to know exactly where what happens - I LOVE this book. I can’t wait for more book from Zalika Reid-Benta 💜

[Grace McMorris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like when cities are a character in the story but I don’t think I like it when Toronto is the city

[Raven Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

EDIT: updated to a 4/5 because I think about this story all the time.


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 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 comforting. 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 :)

[NicoleWReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Join three twenty somethings on a quest through Toronto to find the stolen comb of River Mumma! Highly entertaining with an uplifting message about finding strength and connection from storytelling and the generations that came before us.

[Deandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible writing. I will be thinking about this story and this book for a long time. Honestly one of the best books I've read this year. Highly recommend!

[Chelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH an amazing book! I have no notes.. no notes!!!
A magical, fast paced read based around Jamaican culture and tradition, this book was impossible to put down!

[Andrea Gagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such a good time reading this! It was adventurous, exciting, suspenseful, a bit scary at times, and had a meaningful message too about holding on to your cultural roots -- your ancestral birthright -- in the diaspora.

Alicia is struggling to find meaning and purpose in her post-grad life, but that all changes when a walk home from a holiday party brings her face to face with the Jamaican water deity River Mumma, who tasks Alicia with returning her stolen comb before sunset on the following day. This being set in Toronto in the middle of winter, sunset doesn't leave her with very much time! She has no clue where to start, but after being joined by two of her co-workers, Mars and Heaven, and chased down by some pretty terrifying mythological Jamaican ghouls, the journey ends up sweeping the three of them away.

The three main characters were great, each with their own character arcs and emotional baggage to overcome. I loved seeing how this hero's journey pushed each of them to look inside themselves and push through what was holding them back. It was moving to see their friendship evolve, too, through their shared experience.

I loved loved loved all the folklore that was brought to life in these pages: River Mumma herself, of course, but also darker entities like Rolling Calf and the other duppies. Alicia's visions and "journeys" also take the reader back in history to what at first appear to be beautiful, moving moments in Alicia's Jamaican ancestry and spirituality (with some gorgeous descriptions of the lush island landscape), but that end up having a meaningful connection to some chilling historic events as well.

In terms of the plot and pacing, I pretty much couldn't put this down. With lots of mini-challenges leading up to the climactic finish, I feel like I was consistently looking forward to see what would happen next. The one part that may have slowed down a bit might be when they had the duppy sickness, though I will say that it included some important story development points. All in all, I devoured this book in like 24 hours because I couldn't stop turning the pages.

This was one heck of a ride, and I'm so glad I got to go on this quest with Alicia, Mars, and Heaven!

4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC to read and review.

[Sarah (berriesandbooks)]

DNF @ 50%

I'll try to come back to this, but it's not clicking for me right now. I keep reaching for other books🤷🏼‍♀️

[Shruti morethanmylupus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good! It's full of Jamaican patois and folklore. With some exposure to the culture, I found the patois was easy enough to follow but had to look up some of the idioms and the folklore was all new (but sufficiently explained in the book). If you don't have any experience with the culture, you may find yourself looking up some of the words but I think most of it was understandable context-wise if you don't want to take yourself out of the story. This was an adventure novel featuring strong POC women and a lot of folklore characters but set in the freezing Toronto winter. I loved the juxtaposition of the northern winter against the Jamaican culture, and the navigation of the dual cultural background of our MC, Alice. If you love books that highlight folklore from different cultures and/or adventure novels featuring strong POC women, this is a wonderful choice that I highly recommend.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical realism and Jamaican folklore create an entertaining, original story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Added points as the story was set in Toronto and highlighted the traffic and transit issues. (IYKYK)
I listened to this book, and the audio was fantastic. It added a whole other dimension to this story. Definitely give this one a try!

[Angela Y (yangelareads) ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Copy provided by Penguin Random House Canada and Kensington Books.

Alicia has been out of grad school for months. She has no career prospects and lives with her mom, who would not 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 does not understand why River Mumma would choose her. She can not remember all the legends her relatives told her, unlike her retail co-worker Heaven, who can reel off Jamaican folklore by heart. She does not 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. This was an interesting book, but not the usual type of genre I would read, which ended up being very hard for me to connect to the book. The plot is interesting in that it hinges on reality, fantasy and occult beliefs that are strongly associated with the islands in the south. I found the beliefs and traditions associated with those concepts interesting. The characters had a lot of chemistry and were endearing. This book had a lot of Toronto references, which I loved, since I am a Toronto native. Although, I did not understand all the language and history about Jamaica, I think people will still enjoy this one.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book about a Jamaican deity and how it intertwined with seer who would journey to the past. I loved the scenery and the overall quest that the three friends had to go on to retrieve this golden comb. Great storytelling! I'd highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Random Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on Jamaican folklore this book was action packed and took place all over the Toronto landscape.

Though I have read and watched a lot about Roman or Greek mythology, I knew nothing about Jamaican mythology. It was very interesting to learn more about it and the book sent me down more than one rabbit hole looking up more about Jamaican folk tales.

Being set in Toronto this book makes for a great choice for the read the world challenge. It would also make for a great book to travel to Toronto with as there are descriptions all through the book that one could go see.

One of my hold backs is simple personal and nothing to do with the fabulous writing; fantasy and mythology are not my favourite topics to read about. However, if you do like fantasy and mythology, I would highly recommend this one. I also intend to read her book Frying Plantain. It is probably more up my alley.

Thank you @netgalley, @randomhouseca, @zalikarb for the opportunity to read and review this exciting new novel and author.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

15th book of the Year featuring Toronto is veryyyyyyy Toronto.
Love a quest book, and this is a very good one

[Lalaa #ThisBlackGirlReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ah yes, mi a vision fi true, but yuh eye nuh deceive yuh.”

Alicia, our protagonist, in River Mumma is in a weird space in her life. Having recently graduated from University she has no real career prospects on the horizon, like her former classmates. Instead, she is living with her mother in Toronto while working at a large chain retail store and trying to figure it all out.

Other than her non-existent publishing career, Alicia can’t muster the energy to have much of a social life, socializing isn’t really her thing. As the story opens we meet Alicia at her friend/co-worker Heaven’s house who is having a small party because her parents have gone away for the weekend. Alicia shows up in sweatpants making zero effort to look pretty or be social.

During the party, Alicia also meets a friend of Heaven’s, Oni who is both intriguing and spiritual and does a card reading on Alicia, that rocks her to her core. Alicia decides to leave the party and walk the few blocks home, in the wintery cold. On her way home she encounters the mystical deity River Mumma, who is said to protect bodies of water and the people who pay her tribute. River Mumma sets Alicia on a quest to find her stolen comb that was taken by a tourist, and she wants it back or else she will dry up all the bodies of water.

Alicia doesn’t know why River Mumma chose her and doesn’t want this responsibility. She spends most of the book questioning herself and her abilities. Thinking she needs to figure this out on her own, she’s surprised when Heaven as well as their co-worker Mars travel across Toronto to help Alicia find the missing artifact before it’s too late.

River Mumma is a captivating book that weaves Jamaican folklore in a contemporary Toronto setting and it is a truly magical journey. If you were ever in doubt that Zalika Reid-Benta is here for the culture then this book will set you straight.

Zalika Reid-Benta is a Toronto-based writer whose debut story collection, Frying Plantain, was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and it was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award.

I loved so many aspects of this book that I cannot go through it all without giving everything away. The way Reid-Benta weaves the past and the present with folklore and culture is so delightful. If you’re from Toronto the debate over the best patties in the city rages on and while we have a few great contenders in this book, there’s yet to be an actual winner.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. It delighted and enthralled me in the best possible ways and I could not put it down.

The sprinkle of Jamaican culture mixed with the backdrop of Toronto culture was the perfect blend that made my heart full.

I truly read this book in one day a few chapters on LibroFM, who sent me an advanced copy and the audio was AMAZING!

And the rest I read through NetGalley. Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin RandomHouse Canada, and LibroFM for providing a copy of this book.