Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

14 reviews

tina94's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Racism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Rape, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Mental illness, and Terminal illness

Minor: Child abuse

kylieqrada's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

EXCUSE ME, WHAT?!?!? Rivers Solomon is truly one of the best authors in the game, as is evidenced by the fact that I picked up this book, a horror novel, just because it is by them. I was not disappointed in any way shape or form, however I do have a lot of feelings and I do not know how to process them. The only reason I am giving this four stars is because I am basing my rating on pure enjoyment (there was one sex scene that involved acts that were triggering for me personally), but please know that the writing and literary value absolutely deserves five stars. I am Rivers Solomon trash, and I am not worthy. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Homophobia

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. 

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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

yoda32's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-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

4.0

Sorrowland is told from the perspective of Vern( an albino black teenager) who at 15 and pregnant, escapes from Cainland- a dangerous cult masquerading as a safe haven for black people. From there we follow Vern over the years, as she hides away in woods with her twins but when a sickness infecting her body- causing haunting by the dead, and deforming her bones- gets progressively worse, she decides to take her children and get help. But Vern’s strange sickness links to the horrifying Cainland, and the people behind it all...are not done with her yet! 

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Sorrowland is a mix of SFF and horror that pulls you in from the first page. Vern is one of the STRONGEST characters I have ever read about, and I devoured this book. Rivers Solomon wrote so exquisitely; it was you could feel the hauntings and terror each time Vern experienced them. You could further feel the bonds between Vern and her children, and again with two other major side characters. 

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 While it does so in a fictional setting and metaphors, Sorrowland does not shy away from highlighting the horrors black people and black women endure at the hands of the American government. Which is extremely important! Sorrowland further explores different forms of abuse-whether mentally, physically, parental or domestic-, sexuality (Vern is attracted to women), gender and love. 

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Sometimes you read a book and you know you’ll NEVER forget it and Sorrowland was that book for me. It had scenes that were horrifying, soft, scary, and truly unforgettable. I highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Genocide, Death of parent, and Blood