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."

River Mumma, It’s a dizzying brew of magical realism, folklore, and self-discovery.

Alicia, stuck in a rut, living with her mom (who has a talent for sending the most unsettling texts), and drifting aimlessly after grad school. One night, River Mumma, a Jamaican water deity, appears, and Alicia’s ordinary life takes a sharp left turn into the mystical.

Okay, real talk—I always struggle a bit with magical realism, and River Mumma was no exception. Some parts left me scratching my head, trying to piece together the threads of reality and myth. While it added depth to the narrative, it occasionally distracted me from fully immersing in the story.

However in the end it was the journey through the streets of Toronto that won me over.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin Random House Canada | Penguin Canada and Zalika Reid-Benta for free e-ARC of River Mumma
in return of my honest review.

I absolutely loved "River Mumma"! Though this isn’t usually my genre, I found myself thoroughly enchanted by the story and its vibrant characters. The narrative follows Alicia, a recent grad school graduate who is feeling lost in her life, living with her well-meaning but overbearing mother. The setup is relatable, and the author does an excellent job of portraying Alicia’s sense of aimlessness in a world filled with expectations.

Things take a magical turn when Alicia encounters River Mumma, the Jamaican water deity, who tasks her with a seemingly impossible quest: to find a missing comb within twenty-four hours. This fantastical premise draws readers in immediately, blending elements of folklore with contemporary challenges. Alicia’s confusion about why River Mumma chose her adds an intriguing layer to the story, making us ponder the significance of ancestral connections and cultural heritage.

The dynamic between Alicia, her co-worker Heaven, and the enigmatic Mars is beautifully developed. Each character brings their own perspective, enriching the narrative with their unique ties to Jamaican folklore. Heaven’s knowledge of the legends contrasts with Alicia’s struggles to remember, highlighting the importance of storytelling and cultural identity. The trio’s journey is not just physical but deeply emotional, as they confront malevolent spirits known as duppies, which symbolize the challenges they face in their own lives.

The author’s vivid prose and immersive storytelling create a rich tapestry that celebrates Jamaican culture and explores the complexities of diasporic identities. The blend of magical realism with themes of self-discovery and community resonates powerfully, making the story not only a thrilling adventure but also a poignant reflection on the ties that bind us to our roots.

Overall, "River Mumma" is an invigorating read that captivated me from start to finish. It’s a testament to the magic of storytelling and the importance of understanding our heritage. Even if this genre isn’t typically your go-to, I highly recommend diving into this enchanting journey. You might just find yourself as captivated as I was!

I was excited for this one but found it borrowed from too many directions, so the book didn’t speak to me. However, I could see why many would enjoy it. Character development is real solid and the writing is strong,

2⭐️

This book sounded so good. I really enjoy folklore and legends, but that said, I struggled with definitions and terms and I spent a lot of time having to look things up. Because of that, I was unable to immerse myself fully in the book because I had to keep taking myself out of it.

I also really didn’t connect with any of the characters, so I also struggled with that. It took me a while to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Story about Alicia. One evening, the Jamaican water deity, River Mumma, appears to her and tells her she has 24 hours to find her missing golden comb. Alicia gets help from her co-workers, Heaven and Mars. Evil spirits called duppies, chase them around Toronto as they try to complete the quest.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved learning about Jamaican folklore. As a Canadian, I always enjoy books set in Canadian cities. I have visited Toronto multiple times, and I felt the author did a great job making the city come to life.

The characters are all well written. Their banter and relationships felt very realistic. The author explores the various ways children of immigrants connect back with their parent’s birth countries. Alicia, Heaven and Mars all have Jamaican roots but have different ways of honouring those roots.

The supernatural elements of the book were done really well. They never felt over-the-top and seemed scarily plausible. I knew nothing about River Mumma or duppies before reading the book, but want to learn more.

This is an engaging, well-written book. I listened to the audiobook version and recommend it as the narrator was great. I have not read the author’s other book, Frying Plantain yet, but plan to pick it up soon.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. I read the first book by this author (Frying Plantain) and although this novel has a different feeling, it was equally as enjoyable. I felt at home with the speech and references throughout the book. I loved the folklore element and I thought it was all very well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This book was incredible. It was so vivid in the writing that the characters came alive on the page. I love learning more about Jamacian folklore and River Mumma. It was a bit difficult to get into the rhythm of how some of the characters speak but that just made me slow down and not race through the book.

Akin to a Jamaican diaspora's answer to Percy Jackson, River Mumma is a thrilling journey that follows 3 young people's race to recover a missing comb. With beautiful writing, hilarious dialogue and profound commentary on culture and belonging, River Mumma is an un-put-downable book.

This book was the all-absorbing hit that I didn't know I needed. Reid-Benta has masterfully evoked Toronto in the winter, the ice-chilled river, the parks and small shops, the vibe of the city as experienced by youth. And her storytelling capacity is impeccable. Reid-Benta has brought Jamaican folklore to life, and transported it to the frosty North. After loving her first book Frying Plantain, and now being mesmerized by River Mumma, I very eagerly look forward to her upcoming releases.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I so loved that this book was set in Toronto, and that it reminded me slightly of Nalo Hopkinson's "Brown Girl in the Ring",which is also set in Toronto, albeit a dystopic version of the city.

In this book, Alicia is out of grad school, working in retail as she has no other job prospects. She hates her job, lives with her mum, who constantly texts her news stories and reminds Alicia of things to pick up from the grocery store.

After leaving a party she was invited to by her Jamaican folklore-loving coworker/friend Heaven, Alicia has a scary encounter with River Mumma, a Jamaican water goddess, who tells Alicia that she has twenty-four hours to recover River Mumma's missing comb.

Alicia begins having visions, and ropes in Heaven, and coworker Mars, on her quest, mainly because weird stuff starts happening to the trio and Heaven refuses to abandon Alicia to her fulfill her quest alone. They travel through a snowy Toronto on public transit and taxis (I loved this detail, as who wants to drive and park in Toronto??), are chased by duppies, and realize that they can't find the comb without relying on their connections and history. Alicia's visions also provide her with clues to the comb's and her own past, which eventually leads her to a some unusual locations and people around the city.

Even while Alicia and company are rushing about the city, we see the difficulties this generation of people has with finding their identities in their Toronto Caribbean community, as well as the hurdles and bigotry they encounter professionally and personally, as people of a diasporic community.

This story came to life immediately for me, and kept me hooked as Alicia's malaise transformed into a greater focus on her life and aspirations through her one day's many mundane and terrifying experiences.

Author Reid-Benta's characters are so well drawn, and I could see the trio arguing and bantering their way around the city, as well as figuring out how to evade the many odd spirits chasing them down. Jamaican folklore is skilfully integrated throughout Alicia's story, and it was wonderful seeing strange beings of these tales on Toronto streets.

This was a fast-paced story with great characters, wonderfully realistic dialogue and character dynamics, and a compelling situation. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I adored River Mumma. I inhaled it. I was planted on my couch and whipped through it in less than 24 hours. As a first generation Canadian, a child of Caribbean parents, and a current Torontonian who knows their heritage through a diasporic lens it felt like this book was written for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found her inclusions and critiques of Toronto culture to be playful yet accurate. Her references to the city are pure enjoyment from the patty debate to the TTC delays and commuter frustration. With her debut novel and second published work, Reid-Benta has become an auto read author for me.

This sure was a different read, magical and fast-paced. I greatly enjoyed the Toronto setting (and the not-so-subtle nod at one of its favourite sons, Drake).

The story follows Alicia, a recent graduate who has yet to find her way, as she races through the city to retrieve a golden comb and return it to its proper owner, River Mumma. The latter, a Jamaican deity, is threatening a drought if the object is not returned to her by end of day, It is intriguing and leaves the reader wanting to discover more about Jamaican folklore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

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 💜

This was very fun! I do love a bit of magical realism and books set in Toronto so I was predisposed to be into this book.

What I loved about this book: the various familiar settings across Toronto, the sort-of nostalgia that comes with reading about young people's experiences in the city, the action and adventure, the not-always-smooth teamwork and developing friendship between Alicia, Mars and Heaven, the way things connected to each other and tied together neatly throughout the story, the low-key Drake shade, the little lesson in there about appropriation, the depiction of quarter-life ennui, the device of Heaven and Oni's interest and knowledge of Jamaican history, magic and culture. Oh and a retelling of the story of the ghost of University College at the University of Toronto! And because I ended up listening to the audiobook, the Jamaican patois delivery took the whole thing up another level.

What didn't always work for me: There were times where I got a little bit lost in what felt like multiples POVs (although I belatedly caught up and understood that Alicia was still the vehicle for those things through her experience and that helped.) The dialogue was hit and miss - it worked for the most part, except when there was conflict around the action. In those cases it felt a little forced and kind of took me out of the story. There were also times the characters seemed younger than their mid-twenties but you know what? I'm old so that is probably a me problem.

I think this was a great book and a fun read and recommend it to others. Bonus if you are familiar with Toronto or have Jamaican heritage because then you'll be able to enjoy the book even more deeply!

I enjoyed reading this book.

I learned about Caribbean words, culture and beliefs all the while being engrossed in the magical story.

The friendship between Alicia, Heaven and Mars will be tested in this quest, but it will stand strong in finding the comb for River Mumma.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
I really enjoyed Reid-Benta's short story collection and was excited to see that she had written a novel. The description did remind me a lot of the Rivers of London urban fantasy series (which I love) and I was interested to see what kind of twist a Toronto setting would make.
I love Alicia's relationship with her mom. Reid-Benta's grasp of dialogue and dialect writing is perfection!
The mingling of Jamaican spiritualism, magic and myth with the 'real' world via dream sequences and apparitions was really interesting.
The portrayal of a twenty-something struggling with student debt, decisions and an uncertain future was very realistic. Alicia's friends are pretty cool too.
However, I think the novel could have benefited from some storyboarding, sorry to say - I get the need for an extended intro as the characters and their relationships are pretty complicated; then about 1/2 way through the book we're on a D&D type quest, which keeps getting bogged down and finishes somewhat anticlimactically (at Drake's house?). The plot didn't really flow, it seemed at times like disconnected parts of something that should be longer. I think that I was hoping for urban fantasy and got low key magic realism.
The ending seemed rushed and unsatisfying after getting us all involved and invested in Alicia's future.
The author is a wonderful writer, and there's a lot to like in this book, but I understand why some readers are ambivalent; I'll look forward to her next one.
I'm subjectively rating this 3.5 out of 5, there was a lot I liked, but I just didn't love the book as a whole.

As a Canadian who is very familiar with Toronto, I really enjoyed this book’s setting, I also loved learning so much about Jamaican folklore and the River Mumma, a mermaid that protects Jamaican bodies of water,

The main character, Alicia, is a Jamaican-Canadian, second generation immigrant, who is going through a quarter life crisis after completing law school. One night she is walking home and the River Mumma approaches Alicia and gives her 24 hours to retrieve her golden comb.

What ensues is a fast-paced story where Alicia, accompanied by her friends Heaven and Mars, race against time, battling supplies (ghosts, demons, ghost-demons???) in search of the golden comb so that the River Mumma does it leave the waters forever.

Many thanks to Penguin Canada and Netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

River Mumma is a bit of an experience. When I'm not pretending to be a fuzzy animal online, I live the life of a Black American who has immigrated to Canada. So, while my experiences were exactly like those of Alicia, I could definitely identify with some of the things that she dealt with.

The story is set in Toronto and features Alicia, a Jamaican-Canadian girl who is trying to adjust to having a bit of a social life and getting to know her friends better. However, all that is tossed aside when River Mumma, a Jamaican goddess, tasks her with finding a lost, golden comb of hers within 24 hours. She luckily has her two friends, Heaven and Mars, who know Jamaican folklore and mythology, which prove to be extremely helpful in her quest.

The story starts off a bit slow for me and I almost didn't finish it, but it picks up towards the middle and then really gets going. The book is heavy on the descriptions and geography of Toronto, so if you manage to brave Ontario to get out, you'll find that Reid-Benta was not very far off in her descriptions.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes folklore, mythology, African Diaspora writings, and strong female leads.

The racial and generational argot in the writing style prevent me from continuing. I was about to put aside this book after an uninteresting first chapter but the first few paragraphs in the second could well have me revisit in the future. Reviews suggest I'd be remiss if I didn't!