A review by rubybooks
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

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”. 

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