A review by heyleigh05
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

 First and foremost, I sincerely thank Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this novel. It truly means a lot to me and I am very grateful. You should know that Rivers Solomon is one of my favorite authors so this review is very biased. Sorrowland follows Vern and her twins, Howling and Feral. Vern escapes her husband, Sherman, the leader of an oppressive, zealous, pro-Black cult called Cainland to live in the forest and raise her children. Vern finds liberation in the woods, but she also learns that the woods hides secrets and it transforms her in ways she didn’t imagine possible. She finds that despite her isolation she’s more deeply connected to the environment than she thinks. 

Sorrowland is a speculative fiction novel that explores themes of power, oppression, domination, and liberation. The novel explores how religion is socialized to fit a patriarchal framework that consolidates men’s power and subjugates women and children. Although Cainland was founded as a commune dedicated to Black liberation, it ironically perpetuates white supremacist ideas of family, gender, and sexuality. In Cainland, men are still the heads of households, they have absolute control over their family, and they are permitted to commit violence without consequence. More so, ideas of sexuality remain heteronormative in Cainland and queerness is deviant and punished. Gender roles remain strict in Cainland with women occupying domesticated and secretarial roles while men are in leadership positions. What makes this even more ironic is that the commune (cult) was founded by both men and women. Cainland represents how Christianity is used to legitimize male domination and repress women and children. Religious dogma legitimizes the abuse and violence that men inflict upon their families and they are not punished for it because they are doing it in the name of God. The novel also shows on a broader scale how we are all exploited and repressed by the institutions that govern us. If you follow Rivers Solomon’s social media you’ll know that fae are firmly anti-establishment and that is reflected in the novel. Sorrowland’s release is coming at a really apt time now that we are starting to have genuine conversations about liberation, police abolition, and dismantling capitalism. These are ever present ideas in the novel.

I liked how Solomon explored the theme of liberation. A question that I’ve asked myself often lately is, “what does Black liberation look like?” We can certainly say that Black liberation does not look like the reproduction of white supremacist ideologies in an all-Black community. What’s the point of living apart from white people if you are still using their racism and homophobia as a metric for your community. But what would liberation look like outside of that? For Vern, liberation was living and sustaining herself in the woods with her children. She has a connectedness with the land and she’s a naturalist. She believes that nature provides everything that we need to survive. This is nice in theory but in practice we’ve seen so many instances in which people started “ethical” communities that were sustainable and lived off the land but they had the money, resources, and support to sustain that lifestyle. Also, those “ethical/sustainable” communities still exploit local residents for their land and labor. More so, I think that this idea of naturalist liberation is simply just survival for others and it reveals the exploitative power dynamics between colonizing and colonized countries. On a macro-scale I don't think this form of liberation is feasible, but on a small-scale and for Vern it works out until her body undergoes mysterious changes in the woods. This leads me to another significant idea in the novel.

(This may be a slight spoiler but I won’t go into the specifics) Sorrowland addresses America’s history of experimenting on Black people without their consent. It goes without saying that the U.S. has always devalued Black people to mere bodies and vessels that could be used to satisfy white people’s curiosity. From night doctors to J Marion Sims to the Tuskegee experiment, there are countless moments in US history that document this country's indifference to Black people. This directly contributes to the dehumanization of Black people as they are treated as lab animals without consciousness and feelings. The novel explores this history and even speculates what it could look like if Black bodies were weaponized. This fits directly into the novel’s overall themes of domination and exploitation.

Having been controlled for her entire life Verrn absolutely balks at authority (she doesn’t take commands well even from people she cares about). Vern is stubborn, callous, unforgiving, unsympathetic, and even a little selfish. She makes it clear from the beginning that she is not going to be an empathetic, nurturing mother. She even considers leaving her newborns for a moment but she ultimately decides to opt into motherhood. Vern’s practicality and shrudeness makes sense because that disposition is necessary for survival in the forest. Her biggest concern in ensuring her and her children’s survival. Although Vern isn’t your typical nurturing and gushing mother, she loves her children fiercely. It was interesting to see how even for humans, there’s a primal instinct to protect your children, especially for Vern who isn’t a conventional mother. On the flipside, Vern doesn’t let her children eclipse her own desires and competitiveness. It may seem selfish in some ways, but it also reaffirms the idea that your children should not define your identity. Vern takes what she wants when she wants, and she refuses to feel shame about it because that shame is directly linked to patriarchal ideas forced upon her in Cainland. I really respected Vern as a character because she was unapologetic, focused, and sharp-shooting. She doesn’t pretend that she’s a wholesome, kind person and she’s upfront about it. Frankly, I could learn a few things from her.

Now this is the part of the review where I fly my stan flag. When it comes to chemistry Rivers Solomon is outdoing a lot of these romance writers… Faer characters always have really good chemistry like Astor and Theo in An Unkindness of Ghosts. Vern and Gogo in this novel are no different. They fit so well together and I just enjoyed their moments together. For those of you looking for a sapphic sub-plot this is the book for you! If Rivers Solomon ever decides to dabble into romance I will absolutely be first in line! Vern’s twins, Howling and Feral were also a bright spot in the novel. They were just so cute and innocent and they were funny. Found family is a recurring trope in Solomon’s work and fae always do it well. I do think that the ending was rushed. I had the same criticism of An Unkindness of Ghosts. I was left with many questions at the end and the climax moved too quickly for me.

I think the last thing that I wanted to talk about was the theme of connectedness and bearing witness. In Black spiritual traditions giving testimony and bearing witness is a regular practice. Where giving testimony allows people to tell their stories being a witness validates what the person has gone through and their experience. It indicates that you hear them and believe them and support them. In Sorrowland, there’s this idea of bearing witness to not only the tragedy of the dead but also the fullness of their lives. This is not a new idea in Black speculative fiction i.e. Sing, Unburied, Sing and The Prophets, and I enjoy reading it because I like the idea of being connected and part of a continuum, a legacy. For Black folks connection to family and ancestry is very salient. Vern experiences this connection to the dead in a very unique way and I liked how “bearing witness” was interpreted in a very Rivers Solomon way. I feel like the science element is sort of integral to a faer novels. More so, the earth, nature is what facilitates this connection between the dead and the living. I think that this is an important theme for Vern because she is firm in being alone, self-sufficient, and untrusting, but her abilities require that she connects to people to see into their pasts and even rely on people to change the future.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I would very much recommend it. I will definitely be pre-ordering my own copy! Rivers Solomon always tackles so many issues in faer novels in an organic way. Sorrowland loosely reminded me of Parable of the Sower, Sing, Unburied, Sing, and a little bit of The Girl with All the Gifts. I really admire Rivers Solomon’s creative vision and that’s what really draws me to faer work. So if you don’t read this book for cults, mysterious transformations, and anti-establishment sentiments, then at least read it for the sapphic romance because it’s quite satisfying! If you want to treat yourself to something fun and intriguing then definitely read this book!

4 stars