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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
It took a few chapters for me to decide if I wanted to finish the book, but once it hit a few chapters in I was sucked in until I had to finish the whole thing. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
my key point for the review of this book is this:
not every single book has to have ALL of the things.
this book carried 48,000 important major themes and became a bit of a catch all/messy/overdone for me by the last bit.
anti police, racism, transgender, graphic sex (which seemed wildly out of place, not prudeishly just in that there was ONE explicit scene… for why), government overreach, cultism, survivalism, like one novel does not have to hit every single heavy hitting topic in one go, write more books man.
i genuinely appreciated a lot of the themes of the story, i love cults. i love a strong woman. the trans characters i really appreciated but felt like it was weird that every character ended up having something going on? this novel had a lot of potential but just had way too damn much going on for the first 75% and the last 25% turned into an action/sci fi thriller.
i put four stars initially and as i kept writing i lowered it to three and i gave a lot of complaints i feel but the writing was very pretty, lol.
not every single book has to have ALL of the things.
this book carried 48,000 important major themes and became a bit of a catch all/messy/overdone for me by the last bit.
anti police, racism, transgender, graphic sex (which seemed wildly out of place, not prudeishly just in that there was ONE explicit scene… for why), government overreach, cultism, survivalism, like one novel does not have to hit every single heavy hitting topic in one go, write more books man.
i genuinely appreciated a lot of the themes of the story, i love cults. i love a strong woman. the trans characters i really appreciated but felt like it was weird that every character ended up having something going on? this novel had a lot of potential but just had way too damn much going on for the first 75% and the last 25% turned into an action/sci fi thriller.
i put four stars initially and as i kept writing i lowered it to three and i gave a lot of complaints i feel but the writing was very pretty, lol.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
What a freaking BOOK. I'm blown away by Sorrowland and its complexities. There is absolutely some suspended reality (is Vern just 15/a teenager or is she 15 and an adult because of her society's structure and rules?) but it works for the overall story. The realness of how even people driven by the utmost of pure intentions can easily turn to the other side, justifying their sacrifices along the way. There is no true Greater Good in a society run by men consumed by power and Sorrowland shows that. I wish we had more answers (the visions/hauntings!), but overall it was fascinating and easy to devour.
Brilliant, immersive and evocative. Your imagination will soar.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
Don’t take the title lightly. This is a book whose pages are filled with suffering, emotion, and trauma. They are also filled with resistance, love, self-possession and a commitment to living with your eyes wide open.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Police brutality
Biggest surprise of the year so far. I really haven’t seen this book on many peoples’ radar, but it deserves more praise than just about any of the popular booktok books. Solomon earned my trust from the very beginning which made the story so rewarding as it gradually took form chapter-by-chapter. Reading this as Winter turned to Spring made the narrative atmosphere that much more enveloping. I fell in love with these characters and will never stop asking for more books about mushrooms!
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“It mystified Vern to think parts of Cainland were worth keeping, but she couldn't disown all of her upbringing. If she did, there'd be nothing left of her. People aren't born. They're made.”
“Alone, Vern reveled in her aliveness. All this time she'd thought death was coming for her, but perhaps it was she who was death coming for everyone else.”
“Darkness was Vern's country. It was all she had by way of a homeland. It pleased her to think it could be a place that nour-ished. Everyone was always going on about light this and light that, but what of dark?”
“Because without a name for it, it's just something I am. A part of life. Once it's got a name, I know that means someone has studied it, dissected it, pulled it apart. When something has a name, they can say it's bad.”
“Vern would call it worshipful, but this thing between them was not god-stuff. They were as two animals, heat, blood, mortal. They were, thank fuck, earthbound, no different than dirt or rotting logs, in no danger of becoming ether, of being raptured and stolen away from this moment.”
“What order of events did Vern need to disrupt in the lives of the millions upon millions who woke up every morning proud to be Americans? What made someone love lies? She saw that cursed flag on the hunter's T-shirt and wondered if he knew about the glut of traumas that defined this nation's founding. Had he fallen so in love with the myth of belonging that he thought the corpses of his imaginary foes were worthwhile sacrifices toward barbecues, megachurches, ban-dannas, and hot dogs? The primary freedoms this nation protected were the ones to own and annihilate.”
“Loving, worshipping, and bowing to folks who harmed you was written into the genes of all animal creatures. To be alive meant to lust after connection, and better to have one with the enemy than with no one at all. A baby's fingers and mouth grasped on instinct.”
“‘I like the woods,’ she said. ‘In them, the possibilities seem endless. They are where wild things are, and I like to think the wild always wins. In the woods, it doesn't matter that there is no patch of earth that has not known bone, known blood, known rot. It feeds from that. It grows the trees. The mushrooms. It turns sorrows into flowers.’”
———————————————————————————
“It mystified Vern to think parts of Cainland were worth keeping, but she couldn't disown all of her upbringing. If she did, there'd be nothing left of her. People aren't born. They're made.”
“Alone, Vern reveled in her aliveness. All this time she'd thought death was coming for her, but perhaps it was she who was death coming for everyone else.”
“Darkness was Vern's country. It was all she had by way of a homeland. It pleased her to think it could be a place that nour-ished. Everyone was always going on about light this and light that, but what of dark?”
“Because without a name for it, it's just something I am. A part of life. Once it's got a name, I know that means someone has studied it, dissected it, pulled it apart. When something has a name, they can say it's bad.”
“Vern would call it worshipful, but this thing between them was not god-stuff. They were as two animals, heat, blood, mortal. They were, thank fuck, earthbound, no different than dirt or rotting logs, in no danger of becoming ether, of being raptured and stolen away from this moment.”
“What order of events did Vern need to disrupt in the lives of the millions upon millions who woke up every morning proud to be Americans? What made someone love lies? She saw that cursed flag on the hunter's T-shirt and wondered if he knew about the glut of traumas that defined this nation's founding. Had he fallen so in love with the myth of belonging that he thought the corpses of his imaginary foes were worthwhile sacrifices toward barbecues, megachurches, ban-dannas, and hot dogs? The primary freedoms this nation protected were the ones to own and annihilate.”
“Loving, worshipping, and bowing to folks who harmed you was written into the genes of all animal creatures. To be alive meant to lust after connection, and better to have one with the enemy than with no one at all. A baby's fingers and mouth grasped on instinct.”
“‘I like the woods,’ she said. ‘In them, the possibilities seem endless. They are where wild things are, and I like to think the wild always wins. In the woods, it doesn't matter that there is no patch of earth that has not known bone, known blood, known rot. It feeds from that. It grows the trees. The mushrooms. It turns sorrows into flowers.’”
I wanted to like this book, but forced my way through to the end disappointed. Poised as a Black gothic sci-if(?) horror(?), Sorrowland tells the story of a utopia created and run by a religious group outside of the rest of society, but ends up being a cover for a secret, government-run project for the development of changeling super warriors
This book is a fantastic masterpiece to me. Vern is such a strong character, she leapt off the page and hung around my mind. Her children are that lovable combination of curious and annoying.
Vern's relationship with the cult she left runs deep and this exploration was phenomenal to read.
I also recommend the audiobook! Reread it with the audiobook in 2024 and truly enjoyed being immersed in Vern's woods while walking my dog in snowy canadian winter woods.
Spoiler but I have to write this joke down:
Vern's relationship with the cult she left runs deep and this exploration was phenomenal to read.
I also recommend the audiobook! Reread it with the audiobook in 2024 and truly enjoyed being immersed in Vern's woods while walking my dog in snowy canadian winter woods.
Spoiler but I have to write this joke down: