PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Zalika Reid-Benta is a Toronto-based writer whose debut story collection, Frying Plantain, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction. Frying Plantain 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.
"“Mixing Caribbean folklore with downtown Toronto’s modern melting pot . . . Reid-Benta deftly weaves pertinent details about Jamaican folktales and Canadian immigrant experiences throughout the narrative.” —Apple Books Review “River Mumma is a propulsive read filled with captivating characters, page-turning mystery, and a thoughtful examination of kinship and ancestral ties.” —Toronto Life “. . . 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.” —Toronto Star “Wholly original, remarkably crafted, and unmatched in voice, atmosphere, and action, River Mumma should be on every must-read list this season.” —Cherie Dimaline, bestselling author of Empire of Wild “River Mumma is the type of vivid, rich novel I love best. It left me turning pages and pondering possibilities well into the night.” —Alicia Elliott, bestselling author of A Mind Spread Out on the Ground “River Mumma has everything you want in a great read—magic, adventure and mystery—all with incredible characters you’re rooting for from the very first page.”—Jael Richardson, bestselling author of Gutter Child “An emotional quest painted with magic realism and folklore and set against the vibrant backdrop of Toronto’s York region, River Mumma is more of the Zalika Reid-Benta magic I’ve been waiting for.” —Catherine Hernandez, award-winning author of Scarborough “River Mumma is a profoundly moving celebration of kinship. . . Zalika Reid-Benta’s writing is riveting; it is meant to entertain and inspire and leave you one step closer to your truth.” —Téa Mutonji, award-winning author of Shut Up You're Pretty “River Mumma is a love letter to culture, home, and coming of age—and will spark important, relevant book club conversations, too.” —Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky ""A fast-paced and absorbing adventure steeped in Caribbean folklore and mythology, River Mumma is a treat for the senses."" —Uzma Jalaluddin, bestselling author of Ayesha at Last “River Mumma is a necessary book about race, gender, ancestry, colonialism, eco-existentialism, and desire.” —Jenny Heijun Wills, author of Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related “A page-turner of a novel that is both funny and poignant, River Mumma magically and seamlessly weaves Jamaican folklore and myth with the winter landscape of Toronto to create a compelling fictional landscape.” —Shyam Selvadurai, author of Mansions of the Moon “River Mumma is a vivid, poetic exploration of identity and all the delicate pieces in between.” —Chelene Knight, author of Junie “A generational saga, a big-city survival narrative, a study of diasporic cultural nuances, all wrapped inside a thrilling adventure. Complex, deep and resonant, River Mumma is coming for your heart.” —Samit Basu, author of The City Inside"
