The Drowning of Maya Sinclair
Literary Fiction · Portland Parish, Jamaica
The river keeps what the family will not.
Where to buyAbout the book
A homecoming to Portland Parish. A sister lost to the water. And a family that has never agreed on what the river took that day — or what it gave back.
The Drowning of Maya Sinclair turns to Jamaican folklore and the old stories of River Mumma to ask what grief inherits, and what water remembers on our behalf.
Themes
- What a family agrees not to say, and what that silence costs the next generation
- River Mumma and Jamaican water lore, taken seriously
- Return, and whether the place you left is the place you come back to
- Grief as something inherited rather than experienced once
Every family has one version of events that everyone agrees to. This is a novel about the moment that agreement stops holding.
Who this book is for
Readers of literary Caribbean fiction and domestic novels where the house has more history than the people in it.
Browse the catalogFrequently asked questions
Who is River Mumma?
A figure in Jamaican folklore who guards the rivers — a water spirit associated with what the water takes and what it withholds.
Where is the novel set?
Portland Parish, Jamaica.
Is it a standalone?
Yes.