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salemander's review against another edition
5.0
absolutely brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Physical abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Confinement, Fatphobia, Grief, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Addiction, Rape, Animal death, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Domestic abuse
cemeterygay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
It is a beautifully complicated look into both surviving a cult and government infiltration into black radical movements and the real impacts this has into their survivors by following Vern's journey as both a person and mother. While a deeply heavy read between the commentary and beautiful prose, I could not recommend this book enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Transphobia
Additional CW: Hallucinations, non-consensual drugging, forced sterilization, teen pregnancy, graphic childbirth, death of a child (and infant), drowning, poisoning, cult.perpetualpages's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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
4.5
CWs: graphic child birth and references to animal death and child death; in-depth explorations of drugging, drowning, and death; graphic instances of self-harm, cutting, burning, blood, and graphic injury; reported suicide, ableism, misogyny, fatphobia, and homophobia; some references to parental neglect, forced sterilization, sexual assault, and predatory adults; and some graphic sexual content.
NOTE: Vern is a queer, intersex, non-cis, albino Black person with low vision and chronic pain, and her love interest, Gogo, is a queer and trans Lakota person.
Rivers Solomon has never let me down with faer incredible stories and fae sure as hell were not going to start now. Sorrowland is, in fact, perhaps one of the most powerful stories fae have ever written to date. It can definitely be intense at times, so heed the content warnings seriously, but I think the pay-off is well worth it.
What immediately captured my attention in this story was the main character, Vern. From page one, she is an absolutely striking person. Not only is she unpredictable (and unprecedented, in many ways), but she is driven, determined, and absolutely decisive in what she believes. Growing up in this religious extremist compound, she has been lied to, gaslit, manipulated, and exposed to people who will go to any lengths to make sure she stays ignorant of the truth and the world around her. She has been conditioned to trust no one but herself, and that much is extremely clear in the opening passages of this book where she's determined to give birth to her twins alone in the forest and raise them there with absolutely no resources if she has to.
Vern is someone who is going to make her own way in the world, even if she has virtually no support. It takes an incredibly strong person to be their own foundation, to create a way of living that is entirely their own, and to purposefully forsake all the norms and expectations of the outside world, even if the end result is complete alienation—and that is exactly what Vern is willing to do.
There’s a lot of really compelling ideas in this novel. First and foremost, we have to content with this religious extremist group, who refer to themselves as "Black Supremacists," or basically the ideological opposite of White Supremacists. While it might seem, on the surface, like this group would be a safe haven or a "utopia" for Black people, Vern's desperation to escape from that environment contradicts that assumption right out the gate.
That's a compelling sticking point, because when you consider Cainland's manipulation and the way they have experimented on the people living there, to the point where Vern is violently metamorphosing, it calls to mind the dynamic of intracommunity violence. There is a capacity for people who share the same identity or community to inflict violence upon each other, especially as an unconscious response to previous generational trauma. The terrifying metamorphosis Vern is experiencing also serves as a deeper reflection of this country’s history, willingness, and vested interest in enacting violence upon Black bodies.
The metamorphosis itself really made me think about what Cainland's endgame was supposed to be, in regards to their human experimentation. Presumably, these experiments are intended to result in people who are inhumanly powerful and strong. But then seeing how these changes effect Vern, it makes the reader question whether those attributes are *actually* advantages.
Vern is growing exponentially stronger by the day, to the point where she can no longer detect pain or realize when she’s hurting someone else. Is that beneficial to her? Is that empowering? Is it worthwhile? It brings to mind that idea of the Strong Black Woman complex, of people who are not allowed to show pain, fatigue, or struggle, and who are expected to always be exceptional and capable no matter the circumstances, which is extremely unsustainable and toxic. It makes an incredibly powerful statement to see how these abilities that are supposed to make Vern powerful and “more than human” are actually jeopardizing her ability to feel—which is a fundamental component of existing in this world.
It also leaves her in this predicament where she has to try and figure out what to do with that power. What was it intended for and how can she use it for good if it *can* be used for good? That question, in itself, becomes yet another burden, because she now has to figure out how this thing she did not choose for herself can then be transformed and used in service. That’s perhaps what I appreciate most about the story, that it does not romanticize the idea of healing. Rather it shows how healing yourself and healing other people—especially when it comes to addressing severe generational trauma—requires an enormous amount of energy, labor, and time, which are *not* boundless resources.
All of this is just scratching the surface. Sorrowland is doing so many incredible things when it comes to exploring trauma, being haunted by the past, living with the consequences of violence, and finding new ways to exist. It made me think about all these quandaries and so much more, and I know with absolutely certainty that I'm going to be thinking about this story for quite some time.
NOTE: Vern is a queer, intersex, non-cis, albino Black person with low vision and chronic pain, and her love interest, Gogo, is a queer and trans Lakota person.
Rivers Solomon has never let me down with faer incredible stories and fae sure as hell were not going to start now. Sorrowland is, in fact, perhaps one of the most powerful stories fae have ever written to date. It can definitely be intense at times, so heed the content warnings seriously, but I think the pay-off is well worth it.
What immediately captured my attention in this story was the main character, Vern. From page one, she is an absolutely striking person. Not only is she unpredictable (and unprecedented, in many ways), but she is driven, determined, and absolutely decisive in what she believes. Growing up in this religious extremist compound, she has been lied to, gaslit, manipulated, and exposed to people who will go to any lengths to make sure she stays ignorant of the truth and the world around her. She has been conditioned to trust no one but herself, and that much is extremely clear in the opening passages of this book where she's determined to give birth to her twins alone in the forest and raise them there with absolutely no resources if she has to.
Vern is someone who is going to make her own way in the world, even if she has virtually no support. It takes an incredibly strong person to be their own foundation, to create a way of living that is entirely their own, and to purposefully forsake all the norms and expectations of the outside world, even if the end result is complete alienation—and that is exactly what Vern is willing to do.
There’s a lot of really compelling ideas in this novel. First and foremost, we have to content with this religious extremist group, who refer to themselves as "Black Supremacists," or basically the ideological opposite of White Supremacists. While it might seem, on the surface, like this group would be a safe haven or a "utopia" for Black people, Vern's desperation to escape from that environment contradicts that assumption right out the gate.
That's a compelling sticking point, because when you consider Cainland's manipulation and the way they have experimented on the people living there, to the point where Vern is violently metamorphosing, it calls to mind the dynamic of intracommunity violence. There is a capacity for people who share the same identity or community to inflict violence upon each other, especially as an unconscious response to previous generational trauma. The terrifying metamorphosis Vern is experiencing also serves as a deeper reflection of this country’s history, willingness, and vested interest in enacting violence upon Black bodies.
The metamorphosis itself really made me think about what Cainland's endgame was supposed to be, in regards to their human experimentation. Presumably, these experiments are intended to result in people who are inhumanly powerful and strong. But then seeing how these changes effect Vern, it makes the reader question whether those attributes are *actually* advantages.
Vern is growing exponentially stronger by the day, to the point where she can no longer detect pain or realize when she’s hurting someone else. Is that beneficial to her? Is that empowering? Is it worthwhile? It brings to mind that idea of the Strong Black Woman complex, of people who are not allowed to show pain, fatigue, or struggle, and who are expected to always be exceptional and capable no matter the circumstances, which is extremely unsustainable and toxic. It makes an incredibly powerful statement to see how these abilities that are supposed to make Vern powerful and “more than human” are actually jeopardizing her ability to feel—which is a fundamental component of existing in this world.
It also leaves her in this predicament where she has to try and figure out what to do with that power. What was it intended for and how can she use it for good if it *can* be used for good? That question, in itself, becomes yet another burden, because she now has to figure out how this thing she did not choose for herself can then be transformed and used in service. That’s perhaps what I appreciate most about the story, that it does not romanticize the idea of healing. Rather it shows how healing yourself and healing other people—especially when it comes to addressing severe generational trauma—requires an enormous amount of energy, labor, and time, which are *not* boundless resources.
All of this is just scratching the surface. Sorrowland is doing so many incredible things when it comes to exploring trauma, being haunted by the past, living with the consequences of violence, and finding new ways to exist. It made me think about all these quandaries and so much more, and I know with absolutely certainty that I'm going to be thinking about this story for quite some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death and Racism
Minor: Animal death, Fatphobia, Suicide, Ableism, and Homophobia
breadwitchery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Body horror, Violence, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Animal death, and Racism
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Fatphobia, Police brutality, Transphobia, Alcoholism, Cursing, Infertility, Suicide, Racial slurs, Misogyny, and Ableism
becksusername's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
I fucking loved this book and need to read An Unkindness of Ghosts asap
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Racism, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Self harm
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