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storieswithbee's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
2.5
Genre: adult fiction, paranormal, horror, LGBT, Sci-Fi, Gothic, Speculative fiction, dark fiction
Age range: 18+
Overall: 2.5/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 2/5
Writing and Setting: 4/5
Content warning: *sex scenes, adult language, racism, violence, gore, sexual abuse, religious cults, forced institutionalisation, self-harm, plus many many more.
The gist of my review:
This book... my god. I don’t know how we went from a girl fighting the cult and government that imprisoned her to becoming a super human due to a fungus that had morphed with her body, but it happened. And if I’m being honest, I’m disappointed that it did happen.
This book has a very extensive list of trigger warning so please be cautious when considering reading this book.
In my opinion, this book would have been perfect if it stayed on the same path it initially started on. We have a cast of strong and diverse characters from different cultures and sexual orientations, the representation is phenomenal, but the Science Fiction element totally encompassed the initial storyline and swept it off into a very strange and often confronting direction.
I think there is definitely an audience for this book, however, I can understand why people stop reading it at the 20% mark. This is clearly displayed by the polarising ratings and reviews.
All together, the writing is very challenging, the characters individually are astounding, but there wasn’t any content warning provided at the start of the book so readers are entering into some very pressing and troubling scenes blind. In addition, as I mentioned, the book took on a very strange direction when I don’t believe it needed to. My review will be very polarising considering I have given the book a rather low rating, but I think the best way I can describe it is that the book is quite literally unforgettable, but for both good and bad reasons.
Characters: 4/5
There are a few distinct characters in this book but I’m only going to talk about the ones that are most prominent. When I mention race, it’s because it very important to the plot of the book, I apologise in advance if I offended anyone.
Vern:
Vern is a very unique main character. To begin with, she is a albino black young women who has grown up in a very oppressive black person’s cult. She rebels against just about every rule and social construct, not only while in the cult, but also after she escapes.
Throughout the story we discover that she is bisexual and she is open to exploring her sexuality and seeking out her own pleasure. She has offhanded sex with a fair few people (and... beings), and develops a deep relationship with two women.
In addition, Vern is a teen mother to twins, however her parenting isn’t socially conventional considering she raises her children in the wilderness when leaving the cult. Her children, Howling and Feral, are products of her free spirited nature, and their behaviours are often reflections of the previous traits and actions we’ve seen from Vern throughout the book.
The way that Vern was written was phenomenal. In short, the only way I can accurately describe her is that she reminds me of a fierce Lioness. She is an incredibly diverse women who is a marvel both due to what happens to her throughout the book, but also just plainly as a character. I haven’t come across a character written in this way in all my years of reading and I found her totally fascinating. I think it will be a long time before I forget Vern.
Gogo:
Gogo is a character we’re introduced to after that 20% mark in the book and I’m thankful that I read further to be introduced to her.
Gogo is a strong, opinionated and incredibly intelligent lesbian black women. She knows what she wants and she battles tooth and nail to achieve her goals. Gogo has a medical degree and is the person the local community look towards when they can’t go seek conventional medical treatments due to stigma and costs.
Gogo is one of the two intimate relationships that Vern experiences throughout the book. In comparison to all of Vern other sexual partners, the partnership with Gogo comes across as one that shares a very deep understanding and passion for one another. Gogo provides Vern with a sense of solace, especially when Vern’s body and mind take on a supernatural turn. The two are very compatible and they reflect on each other incredibly well.
Plot: 2/5
I’ve mentioned it a few times now, but I really detested the supernatural/ paranormal / science fiction element to Vern’s story. I think the book could have been a very fascinating read if it had gone down the path of fighting the cult and the government as a ‘human’. Obviously this would have changed a large proportion of the story but (not trying to give away spoilers so I’m being purposefully vague), but an exoskeleton...? Spurs...? Mind control...? Really...? *rolls eyes* It was just too much.
Writing and Setting: 4/5
The writing is in 3rd person, which normally I don’t enjoy as much as first person, but with Solomon’s writing style, it was a really fascinating way to digest this story. The writing itself was incredibly complex and it requires the reader to be very engaged at all times.
The settings throughout the book are very unique in a multitude of different ways. In each different location, which was beautifully written, we see different levels and new developments in Vern, her ‘condition’, and her family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality
liteartha's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
i've absolutely never read a thing like sorrowland. it's an ambitious, bizarre, beast of a novel that left me both thoroughly enthralled and thoroughly horrified in turn.
we follow vern — young, pregnant, and fleeing the abusive cult in which she was raised — as she escapes into the woods to make a new life away from the clutches of cainland and her husband, the cult’s leader. she’s pursued, haunted, and leads a life of constant survival with her twin babies, whom she names howling and feral. as time passes, vern finds the bizarre lingering effects of her time in cainland aren’t fading, and even stranger still, she herself seems to be changing in some terrifying and inexplicable way.
set in contemporary america, sorrowland paints an unflinching portrait of exactly what brutality the nation is built on and how that legacy of violence carries on today, particularly in its treatment of Black and Indigenous peoples.
solomon’s writing is gorgeous and the tale at its centre is deeply unsettling. it's a gothic, fantastical, ride packed with social commentary and critique. there's also a wealth of varied representation and exploration of identity in terms of race, sexuality, gender, and disability, all within a very small cast of characters.
the pacing did lull somewhat in parts, there were some side characters that didn't feel fully realised and some smaller ones that seemed as good as forgotten on page (possibly an arc issue), and the last few chapters felt rather rushed, leaving me with a number of questions in the end, but on the whole this book was brilliant and i'd happily purchase a finished copy to reread, ponder over, and quote the living hell out of.
thank you to netgalley and mcd for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review
tw:racism/colonialism, ableism, cults, childbirth, blood, gore, animal cruelty and killing, pedophilia, homophobia/internalized homophobia, death/child death, drowning, self harm, medical trauma, body horror, medical trauma, child abuse, domestic abuse, slurs, mutilation, cannibalism, suicide, rape, AIDS, mention of cancer, drug/alcohol abuse
we follow vern — young, pregnant, and fleeing the abusive cult in which she was raised — as she escapes into the woods to make a new life away from the clutches of cainland and her husband, the cult’s leader. she’s pursued, haunted, and leads a life of constant survival with her twin babies, whom she names howling and feral. as time passes, vern finds the bizarre lingering effects of her time in cainland aren’t fading, and even stranger still, she herself seems to be changing in some terrifying and inexplicable way.
set in contemporary america, sorrowland paints an unflinching portrait of exactly what brutality the nation is built on and how that legacy of violence carries on today, particularly in its treatment of Black and Indigenous peoples.
solomon’s writing is gorgeous and the tale at its centre is deeply unsettling. it's a gothic, fantastical, ride packed with social commentary and critique. there's also a wealth of varied representation and exploration of identity in terms of race, sexuality, gender, and disability, all within a very small cast of characters.
the pacing did lull somewhat in parts, there were some side characters that didn't feel fully realised and some smaller ones that seemed as good as forgotten on page (possibly an arc issue), and the last few chapters felt rather rushed, leaving me with a number of questions in the end, but on the whole this book was brilliant and i'd happily purchase a finished copy to reread, ponder over, and quote the living hell out of.
thank you to netgalley and mcd for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review
tw:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs
ceilidhwilliams's review
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Violence
sebrittainclark's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is incredible! Vern has escaped the cult she grew up in. Free from its influence and alone in the wilderness with her children, her body begins to transform into something new, and she begins to realize the cult was hiding much bigger secrets than she realized.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism and Torture
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
reviewsandreadathons's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
There is a lot here to dissect and think about. It’s definitely a book that will benefit from a second reading but the first one was powerful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism and Racial slurs
Minor: Addiction
booksthatburn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
*I received a free review copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.
Haunting and visceral, SORROWLAND is the story of a Black intersex teenage mother and her children after leaving a religious compound for the woods. It has a subtle kind of intensity where each passage is bearable, but any literal description of the plot tends toward a catalog of horrors.
This book has such a beautiful way with language. The words weave and roll; mesmerizing whether describing turning a deer’s sinew into bowstring, the ever-changing wonder of Vern’s children growing up, or the strange and monstrous changes taking over her body. Since it is a horror story about a mother, I’ll clarify that her relationship with her children is not a source of horror. The way the children are described is full of love, exasperation, and endearment, usually in equal parts, wrapped in the tension between protectiveness and fostering their growing autonomy. It’s about a person fostering their own sense of agency as they care for someone else, as they have people to protect.
The worldbuilding inhabits a strange space where many relevant facets of US history are alluded to or perhaps even briefly described, but because one character or another is hearing of them for the first time, the narrative gives space and understanding to pull the reader in if they are similarly unfamiliar. In many ways the true horror is how little of the book requires the speculative elements in order to be terrifying, for often the mundane details are the most grotesque.
Haunting and visceral, SORROWLAND is the story of a Black intersex teenage mother and her children after leaving a religious compound for the woods. It has a subtle kind of intensity where each passage is bearable, but any literal description of the plot tends toward a catalog of horrors.
This book has such a beautiful way with language. The words weave and roll; mesmerizing whether describing turning a deer’s sinew into bowstring, the ever-changing wonder of Vern’s children growing up, or the strange and monstrous changes taking over her body. Since it is a horror story about a mother, I’ll clarify that her relationship with her children is not a source of horror. The way the children are described is full of love, exasperation, and endearment, usually in equal parts, wrapped in the tension between protectiveness and fostering their growing autonomy. It’s about a person fostering their own sense of agency as they care for someone else, as they have people to protect.
The worldbuilding inhabits a strange space where many relevant facets of US history are alluded to or perhaps even briefly described, but because one character or another is hearing of them for the first time, the narrative gives space and understanding to pull the reader in if they are similarly unfamiliar. In many ways the true horror is how little of the book requires the speculative elements in order to be terrifying, for often the mundane details are the most grotesque.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer
CW for ableism, homophobia, transphobia, interphobia, kidnapping, medical content, sexual content, infertility, cancer (not depicted), blood, gore, violence, gun violence, emotional abuse, physical abuse, domestic abuse, adult/minor relationship, child abuse, self harm, body horror, animal death, suicide, parental death, child death, death. TW for mention of AIDS (brief).
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