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uss_mary_shelley's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is enchanting and bursting with thrill, danger and love. I’ll try not to spoil too much, nor talk in detail about the many cw topics. But it is a book, about racism, about fear, about dehumanisation and metamorphosis, about power and abuse, and about the state all the same. But it is also about love, love without conditions, love that spans generations, communities and people. When I started reading, the first thing I said to my other half was “It starts with a land acknowledgement!” and although that is not the main thing I will take away, it underlies the whole story. This book is rooted in human connections and human experience, all the way through to Vern’s view of the world. We are taken with her, and it is not a story I will forget. Rivers Solomon has captured so much, so well. Reading the sex scenes felt respectful, knowing and genuine. When reading the violent scenes, the turbulence and decisions made sense, and the difference between violence coming down and violence going up was weighted and realised. I definitely be reading more from Rivers Solomon, although I want to sit with this for a day or so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Racism, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence and Domestic abuse
The authors note at the start highlights the cws and themes throughoutrubybooks's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thanks so much to Pride Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book for review! I’ve never read anything by Rivers Solomon before, but now I definitely want to read more. I didn’t know too much about Sorrowland before I started reading, but the synopsis was very intriguing so I was immediately interested. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this before, but some elements reminded me of a couple of books I read earlier this year – The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. Sorrowland is out now, so make sure to check it out if it sounds interesting to you.
Sorrowland is genre-bending: it’s set in America, but has speculative and fantastical elements. It’s an incredibly unique book. I haven’t read much speculative fiction before and it’s a bit hit or miss for me but Solomon does it so well. The main character, Vern, escapes from the religious commune she grew up on and gives birth to twins in the woods. Constantly hunted, she raises her children in the woods and has to come to terms with the mental and physical consequences of leaving behind the horrors of her past. There is so much more to it than that, but my explanations can’t really do the plot justice.
When I first started, I wasn’t sure what direction the book would go in but I quickly became invested in Vern’s story. She is incredibly strong and suffers so much and still maintains her agency with determination. I especially loved seeing how Howling and Feral fit into her life and how they changed throughout their lives. Gogo was also a great character, and she introduced Vern to a new way of living. The characters’ relationships with gender and sexuality were so refreshing to read about: nothing was conventional and I loved how the boundaries of the “norm” were pushed. There are Black, albino, and Native American characters, as well as intersex and sapphic representation.
The concept of Cainland is so chilling in many ways. It is supposed to be a safe haven from the dangers of white supremacy, but there are many sinister going on that manifest alongside abuse. I was really intrigued to find out more details about the founding of Cainland and how it transformed after Eamon Fields took over. There was a lot of information at the end that was so riveting to read about – especially how the fantastical elements fit into the plot. The “hauntings” were really disturbing but I loved how they tied into the plot more cohesively by the end. The dark story is definitely haunting and I couldn’t help but be captivated by the atmosphere.
Thank you again to the publisher for sending me a copy for review! I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was really pleasantly surprised. I really loved Sorrowland and I think it will stick with me for a long time. It’s a dark book, so it won’t be for everyone, but I think the difficult themes were handled so well. Solomon includes these content warnings in the author’s note: “discussion and instances of racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicidality, and homophobia, inclusion of animal death and explicit violence, and references to sexual violence that have taken place off-page”.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Animal death
jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
"How come white folks were always telling Black people to get over slavery because it was 150 or so years ago but they couldn't get over their Christ who died 1,830 years before that?"
If that isn't the million dollar question, I don't know what is, hah. Sorrowland was a tough book to read. It was hard in the sense that there were a lot of intertwining heavy topics, and it's not for the faint of heart (major content warning for body horror). They presented the United States' dark history and the treatment of Black people (and, to no one's surprise, it's violent). Solomon also briefly touched on this country's position as colonizers, reminding us of the violence that Black and Indigenous peoples have faced.
However, another hard aspect of this book for me was getting invested in the story. Solomon is a phenomenal storyteller, and they presented a well-developed and deeply disturbing world through the eyes of their protagonist, Vern. I can't quite place my finger on what it was that failed to pull me into the story, though. I'm inclined to say that it was awkward pacing and a sometimes vague plot. There were instances when I couldn't quite tell where Solomon wanted to take the reader, though maybe that was the purpose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Suicide
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
'Sorrowland' by Rivers Solomon is a harrowing look at how the United States treats Black bodies.
The story follows Vern, who has escaped life on a compound and retreated to the woods. Vern has recently given birth to twins and is trying desperately to protect her children while dealing with the sudden and mysterious changes that her body is going through. As she seeks out more information on what is happening to her, she begins to learn the truth behind the compound upon which she was raised and its impact on her.
In 'Sorrowland,' Solomon explores the deep history of how the United States steals and tortures Black people through a fabulist lens. It is a horror story but the horrors themselves are not the fabulist elements but the real and lived experience of too many Black people in America.
Vern is a complicated character but she is so human. We get to see her flaws and also her strengths painted next to one another. She is a deeply caring mother but she is also reeling from the trauma that she endured growing up. As she leaves the compound and creates connections with new people, she is able to grow and begin to deal with what has been done to her.
Though the arc of the story does not cover a long amount of time, it explores a lot of what Vern has gone through, including reflections on familial trauma, the homophobia she has experienced, and her own growth and personal exploration.
I recommend this to anyone and everyone. I think it would be well paired with a nonfiction title that explores the history of the United States' experimentation on Black people as further reading. Rivers Solomon continues to be a defining voice in speculative fiction and I will definitely be picking up whatever they write next.
The story follows Vern, who has escaped life on a compound and retreated to the woods. Vern has recently given birth to twins and is trying desperately to protect her children while dealing with the sudden and mysterious changes that her body is going through. As she seeks out more information on what is happening to her, she begins to learn the truth behind the compound upon which she was raised and its impact on her.
In 'Sorrowland,' Solomon explores the deep history of how the United States steals and tortures Black people through a fabulist lens. It is a horror story but the horrors themselves are not the fabulist elements but the real and lived experience of too many Black people in America.
Vern is a complicated character but she is so human. We get to see her flaws and also her strengths painted next to one another. She is a deeply caring mother but she is also reeling from the trauma that she endured growing up. As she leaves the compound and creates connections with new people, she is able to grow and begin to deal with what has been done to her.
Though the arc of the story does not cover a long amount of time, it explores a lot of what Vern has gone through, including reflections on familial trauma, the homophobia she has experienced, and her own growth and personal exploration.
I recommend this to anyone and everyone. I think it would be well paired with a nonfiction title that explores the history of the United States' experimentation on Black people as further reading. Rivers Solomon continues to be a defining voice in speculative fiction and I will definitely be picking up whatever they write next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Cancer
dedonohoe's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
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