{"product_id":"river-mumma-isbn-9781645661351","title":"River Mumma","description":"\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e is a love letter to culture, home, and coming of age—and will spark important, relevant book club conversations, too.” —Marissa Stapley, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLucky\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eIssa Rae’s \u003ci\u003eInsecure \u003c\/i\u003ewith a magical realist spin: \u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlicia 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlicia 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEnergetic and invigorating, \u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“This quirky, fizzy, charming debut surprises and amuses. Reid-Benta writes beautifully, drawing on Caribbean mythologies to create a fast paced and entertaining tale. It's rare to find a novel written with such humour and heart.” —T. L. Huchu, USA Today Bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Library of the Dead\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e★ “Stunning debut. . . that marks the emergence of a powerful new voice.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “A race-against-the-clock page-turner with friendship and diasporic community building at its heart, this book is a winner.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003c\/b\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This is a splendid story about ancestry, identity, and creativity.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eApple Books Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e is a propulsive read filled with captivating characters, page-­turning mystery, and a thoughtful examination of kinship and ancestral ties.” \u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eToronto Life\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“. . . Reid-Benta writes powerfully of the diasporic experience, the connections between family history and community, and the role and importance of lore and mythic history.” \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Toronto Star\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e is a blessing and Zalika Reid-Benta’s talent is a truly special gift. This is a quest novel that maps Jamaican folklore across modern-day Toronto; three young people are sent on a mission by a goddess and if that doesn’t pique your interest then something is very wrong with you.” —\u003cb\u003eVictor LaValle\u003c\/b\u003e, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Changeling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wholly original, remarkably crafted, and unmatched in voice, atmosphere, and action, \u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e should be on every must-read list this season.”  —\u003cb\u003eCherie Dimaline\u003c\/b\u003e, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eEmpire of Wild\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“\u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma \u003c\/i\u003eis the type of vivid, rich novel I love best. It left me turning pages and pondering possibilities well into the night.” —\u003cb\u003eAlicia Elliott\u003c\/b\u003e, bestselling author of A\u003ci\u003e Mind Spread Out on the Ground\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A generational saga, a big-city survival narrative, a study of diasporic cultural nuances, all wrapped inside a thrilling adventure. Complex, deep and resonant, \u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma \u003c\/i\u003eis coming for your heart.” —\u003cb\u003eSamit Basu\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe City Inside\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“\u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e is a love letter to culture, home, and coming of age—and will spark important, relevant book club conversations, too.” —\u003cb\u003eMarissa Stapley\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLucky\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A fast-paced and absorbing adventure steeped in Caribbean folklore and mythology, \u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e is a treat for the senses.\" —\u003cb\u003eUzma Jalaluddin\u003c\/b\u003e, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAyesha at Last\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“River Mumma is a necessary book about race, gender, ancestry, colonialism, eco-existentialism, and desire.” —\u003cb\u003eJenny Heijun Wills\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eOlder Sister. Not Necessarily Related\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A page-turner of a novel that is both funny and poignant, \u003ci\u003eRiver Mumma\u003c\/i\u003e magically and seamlessly weaves Jamaican folklore and myth with the winter landscape of Toronto to create a compelling fictional landscape.” —\u003cb\u003eShyam Selvadurai\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eMansions of the Moon\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A powerful and evocative novel weaving threads of magical realism to create a powerful and moving tale about a search for identity. It is a journey–diasporic, ancestral, cultural, and personal–all coming together by the importance of storytelling by a master storyteller.” \u003cb\u003e—Maurice Broaddus\u003c\/b\u003e, award-nominated author of \u003ci\u003eSweep of Stars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eZalika Reid-Benta \u003c\/b\u003eis a Toronto-based writer whose debut story collection, \u003ci\u003eFrying Plantain\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction. \u003ci\u003eFrying Plantain\u003c\/i\u003e was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and it was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award, the White Pine Award, and the Trillium Book Award. Zalika served as the 2021-2022 Writer in Residence at Western University and was the chair of the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize. She received an M.F.A. in fiction from Columbia University, was a John Gardner Fiction Fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and is an alumnus of the Banff Centre Writing Studio.","brand":"Erewhon Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302314332389,"sku":"NP9781645661351","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781645661351.jpg?v=1767735814","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/river-mumma-isbn-9781645661351","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}