River Mumma

I just finished River Mumma by Zalika Reid-Benta and here are my thoughts.


Alicia has finished grad school and she thought her life would be set. Problem is she hasn't found a job other than a minimum wage job anyone can do. She still lives at home and life is not what she wants it to be.

On the way home one night, River Mumma appears to her, the Jamaican water deity and she is angry. She wants her comb back and she has given Alicia 24 hours to find it or she leaves with all the rivers.

With the help of 2 of her work friends she must use the visions she has been gifted with and avoid the duppies and the fate of the world rests on her shoulders.

It's pretty well paced and I am a real sucker for magical realism. I didn't know much about Jamaican folklore until now as this book sent me down a rabbit hole of research. I found the flow was a little awkward in places but dang, I was highly entertained with this book. Alicia and her friends are being chased by duppies, spirits now reaping havoc around the city.

I thought it was well written and was a solid read.

If you love folklore and magical realism this book would be great for you. I personally would have liked more lore and that atmosphere of storytelling you usually get from these kinds of books but it is worth the read.

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for my gifted copy