Review by Booklist Review
A compelling exploration of heritage and birthright, diaspora, and the restlessness of early adulthood is wrapped up in a fun, fast-paced urban fantasy infused with Jamaican mythology and culture in this second novel from Reid-Benta (Frying Plantain, 2019). Coming home from a party in Toronto one night, Alicia is waylaid by River Mumma, a river goddess who threatens to leave the world--taking all the rivers she controls with her--unless Alicia helps retrieve a stolen comb. A college grad working retail and coming to the slow realization that her life is not going to turn out like she envisioned, Alicia is aggrieved to be tasked with a mystical quest with an unreasonably short deadline--less than 24 hours. When she is attacked the next day by malevolent duppies who want to stop her, her friends and coworkers, fellow Jamaicans Heaven and Mars, are dragged into the excitement. Heaven, a student who has made an extensive study of Jamaican mythology, pushes Alicia to take the quest more seriously, while Mars is reluctant to get involved, echoing a dynamic played out by Mars and Alicia's enslaved ancestors. A race-against-the-clock page-turner with friendship and diasporic community building at its heart, this book is a winner.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Reid-Benta's stunning debut draws on Caribbean myth, horror, and old-school urban fantasy (think Charles de Lint, not Kelley Armstrong) to build a quest tale for the postpandemic generation of the region's diaspora. Alicia Gale is 26 and sulking through her underemployed days working retail while living with her mom in a Toronto apartment. Cut off from her Jamaican roots and her American education alike, she is wholly unprepared for the vision that confronts her on a cold night walk: River Mumma, spirit of the water, rising from the Humber River and demanding restoration of a comb that a tourist has stolen. If it is not returned to her, River Mumma will withdraw her waters. The next morning, Alicia and her friends Heaven and Mars endure a commute from hell, pursued by a violent duppy, or malevolent spirit. After that, there's no denying the truth of the mystical forces suddenly intersecting her life. Alicia has until sunset to return the comb or bear witness to ecological catastrophe. Into this simple plot are mixed elements from every stratum of a young adult's life, including heritage, family, neighborhood, work, school, pop culture, and more. It's a rich and sometimes even dizzying brew that marks the emergence of a powerful new voice. Agent: Amy Tompkins, Transatlantic Literary. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Alicia is reaching a quarter-century crisis. With an expensive, unused graduate degree, a dead-end retail job, and a shared home with her mother, who keeps texting her memes and strange news from the internet, she feels adrift. Then one night she meets the Jamaican water deity River Mumma, who tells Alicia she must retrieve her hair comb in the next 24 hours or risk the world's water supply. Tasked with this unbelievable quest, Alicia will face down Jamaican spirits ("duppies"), failing urban transit, and her own lack of connection to others while searching for the tourist who took the comb. Alicia must learn to trust herself, her heritage, and her friends to find this magical artifact before it is too late. The combination of Jamaican patois with the Toronto setting and references may make the story seem niche, but the themes of ancestry and diasporic identities will hit home for many. VERDICT Fans of magical realism, Jamaican folklore and culture, and the rediscovery of ancestral roots will enjoy this novel from the author of the award-winning Frying Plaintain.--Kristi Chadwick
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