River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta is a magical realist novel full of Jamaican folklore and takes place in Toronto.
Synopsis
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.
Review of River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta
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.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Expected Publication: 22 August 2023
Thank you to Penguin Canada for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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