Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is a genre-defying masterpiece that blends science fiction, gothic horror, and social commentary to create a haunting and unforgettable tale. Set in an alternate reality where Black people have been subjected to centuries of medical experimentation and oppression, the novel follows Vern, a young woman who escapes the confines of a religious cult known as Cainland.

Sorrowland is a powerful exploration of themes of identity, trauma, and resilience. Vern's journey is one of self-discovery as she confronts the horrors of her past and the challenges of navigating a world that has been shaped by systemic racism. The novel is also a scathing indictment of the ways in which Black women's bodies have been exploited and abused throughout history.

Solomon's writing is both visceral and lyrical, immersing the reader in the dark and dangerous world of Sorrowland. The characters are complex and compelling, each grappling with their own demons and struggles for survival. The novel's pacing is expertly crafted, building suspense and tension throughout, while also leaving room for moments of quiet reflection and introspection.

Sorrowland is a book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. It is a powerful and important work that demands to be read and discussed.

We read this for my LGBTQ+ book club and I could not get enough. The intersectional identities were crucial to the story but not paraded, the experience of a teen giving birth to twins in the wood while escaping a religious cult somehow believable, and despite the heavily scifi fungal experience, it all felt very real. This was exceptional.

I felt there was lots of potential for this one, I don't think it really followed through or sold it for me in the end.

It's a sort of sci-fi, horror, surrealist book that covers a ton of heavy topics. It is not super straightforward and started to lose momentum for me about halfway through. I think with some more editing and clarity it could have really hit home for me, but I might just not be the right audience. I think it was highly ambitious and still very well-done and extremely unforgettable.

I was utterly blown away by this book. It was so beautifully written and evoked so much emotion through words.

If you're looking for an intense read, this one will definitely fit your needs. I am still not entirely sure what I thought of it.

Queer, fantasy, horror, cults, and gothic vibes?! SAY LESS. Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is beautifully written and 100% haunting. And while a work of fiction, this book tackles some very real societal issues.

Favorite quote: “I like the woods. 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 liked the part of this story that had a young woman escape from the cult that she belonged to, and work to keep herself and her two babies hidden and safe.
I didn’t like the part that turned all sci-fi, like where she was turned into some kind of experiment and grew an exoskeleton.
I’m going to average the two, and rate it in the middle.
Thanks to #netgalley and #mcdpublishing for this #arc (even though it was actually published two years ago) of #sorrowland in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Thank you to Rivers, Netgalley, and MCD Books for an advance copy of Sorrowland.

When Vern finally escapes from a dangerous and overbearing religious cult, pregnant and alone, she is scared but determined that this is what is best for her and her babies. After giving birth to twin boys and raising them in the woods, she falls ill and realizes that she may need to let her guard down and try to put faith and trust in people.

While battling the unknown illness that is weaking her body, along with terrible nightmares & hallucinations, she decides it’s time to leave the woods in search of a childhood best friend who also made their escape from the compound. She becomes close with some people she meets who take the trio in and work to heal whatever ails Vern. As she learns that she’s being hunted by her past, she starts to unravel and question everything she’s ever known.

This is a very hard book to blurb, as there are so many moving parts to the story. It’s a multi-genre wild ride that touches on a variety of tough topics (as I’ve come to expect from Rivers). It’s gothic sci-fi, with some body horror, some speculative fiction, and it touches on racism, homophobia, government overreach, and the dangers of extreme religious views. If that sounds like a lot…it is. And that’s part of what I took fault in with this book.

Rivers writes a really immersive and dark story. I’ve read a couple of their other books and while enjoying the ambition overall the books have ended up being somewhere in the 2.5-3.5 star range because they’re just SO much to digest. I loved the survival aspects, it gave it a dystopian feel and I do love a good dystopian survival story.

A lot of reviews I’ve read criticize Vern’s character, but for me I really enjoyed her. I loved Vern’s distrust of everyone around her and I loved how strong she was. Let’s be honest, I am a full grown woman and I cannot imagine running off into the woods with my son to survive…and Vern did it pregnant with twins. I even enjoyed her blind arrogance and refusal to see anything other than what she perceived the world to be.

While I can’t say I’ve ever loved a Rivers book…they are obviously doing something right because I continue to be interested in reading the work they put out. Each book is definitely a think piece that touches on a lot of social issues and is delivered in a darker, yet more entertaining manner.

Sorrowland is breathtakingly beautiful, strange, and horrific in its rending of the veil of societal issues. It tackles discussions on so many important topics such as racism, colonialism, gender roles and identity, sexuality, and the connection (and loss of connection) among those with collective trauma. I regularly found myself stopping to read lines aloud - stunned by the striking truth and beauty of them.

While this book can be deeply unsettling in its body horror and themes that it tackles, it adds so much to conversations that need to be happening. There were moments that I felt equally uncomfortable reading regardless if it was due to the visceral horror taking place on the page or due to my whiteness when faced with the stark eye-opening truth of racial trauma. I thank Rivers for writing such a beautiful story that compelled me to witness its beauty despite the discomfort of the material.

This is one of those books that stick with you. It's gritty and bleak, yet fascinating, surprising and powerful. Rivers Solomon doesn't hold back when laying bare the US' dark history of colonisation, corruption, racism and religious oppression, putting these themes at the forefront of this dark speculative story. There is mystery throughout, with the truth being bizarre and yet believable, leading us into a gripping, tragic and somehow hopeful finale.

It isn't an easy read - Vern is definitely a morally grey main character who can be unlikeable at times, but she's also incredibly sympathetic, and you are always rooting for her to finally achieve peace, both with herself and her situation.

All in all, an excellent book, and I will definitely pick up more of Solomon's work.

This book really hooked me in the beginning. I was really invested in Vern's story, but as the book went on, I found myself having trouble following the plot.

The story follows a teenager pregnant with twins who escapes a cult. The magic realism aspect was confusing to me, as I wasn't sure if it was really happening, or if it was in Vern's mind, as her POV was so skewed.

At the end, I understood what the author did to get the story where it needed to go. However, because I didn't like Vern and was frustrated by some if her decisions, I found that I ultimately didn't enjoy the journey getting there.

This book had me captivated from the first page. I read it in two days and Vern's experiences stayed with me when I wasn't. I grew up in a rural area and the woods were so well depicted I felt like I was back there again.
The ending was simply perfect.
This is my second Rivers Solomon book (The Deep being the first) and I will definitely be reading more.

A mixture of many fascinating elements that would place the story into many genre but it doesn't really fit into any one type. The story revolves around a cult. The cult itself has become a character in the story as this young woman who has lived her life inside the cult has now escaped. Only 15, she is married to the cult's leader and is pregnant with twins. Her life has been constant violence and teachings enhanced by drugs. It should be no surprise that her interactions after escape are tempered by her life before escape. She will raise her children and live her life hunted and haunted by the cult and it's members.

This story has been built in layers. As our MC ages, so does her ability to see how she escaped the physical presence but not the influence of her earlier life. Her emotional stability leans to the agressive behavior of a prisoner, not the survivor she is. As her children grow, they will become strangers to her, becoming more like their father.

This is not a quick, easy read. The story winds and sometimes double backs into itself. It defies categorization, yet should be appreciated by readers of fiction, scifi, paranormal.....try it before you make up your mind.

The writing in this book is absolutely gorgeous and the plot and characters were original and extremely interesting. I wish I had read the book, though, instead of listening to the audiobook, because there were several times I realized I wasn’t really following what was happening in the story.

I didn't know what to expect from this novel and was pleasantly surprised! Genre-bending and vastly different from anything I've read before. Liked it a lot and really looking forward to reading more from this author.

I love gothic fiction and this did not disappoint. It merges sci-fi with horror in a way I've never seen before. Would highly recommend if you're into that sort of thing. If not, it would probably not be for you.

Starts out strong but doesn't maintain, unfortunately. I enjoyed the cult aspect, the unreliable narrator, the magical realism, but found myself having to force myself to finish.

What an intense engrossing journey! A stunning piece of speculative fiction. One of my top reads of the year.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.