River Mumma, Zalika ReidBenta
River Mumma, Zalika ReidBenta
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

River Mumma

Author: Zalika Reid-Benta

Narrator: Tymika Tafari

Unabridged: 7 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 02/20/2024


Synopsis

Issa Rae’s Insecure with a magical realist spin: an exhilarating exploration of diasporic community and ancestral ties, and an homage to Jamaican storytelling by one of the most invigorating voices in today’s literature.

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 coworker 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 coworker Mars. But when the trio is chased down by malevolent spirits, 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.

“A love letter to culture, home, and coming of age—and will spark important, relevant book club conversations, too. What a ride! I loved every moment.”—Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jasmine on August 26, 2023

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......more

Goodreads review by ashlyn on April 15, 2025

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 fel......more

Goodreads review by BookOfCinz on April 16, 2023

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......more

Goodreads review by luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) on January 03, 2024

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 Tor......more

Goodreads review by Krista on August 31, 2023

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 gr......more