Reading this made me resolve to go back and read The Deep. Rivers Solomon is such a major voice. You know you're in a different reality from the opening scene's language, and yet reminders of our reality - "a five year' old's birthday party", "a man wanting a fuck" - also tell you that this science fiction portrayal will offer shrewd commentary on our reality too. I don't think I've ever seen the philosophical meditations "up front" in a suspenseful, sci-fi novel like this either, except maybe in some of Walter Mosley's work. The comparisons with Octavia Butler will be inevitable. But there's a spark and a newness here that makes it a "can't miss." You will be on the edge of your seat wondering what's next for the twin infants, Howling and Feral (their real names. :)

I think Rivers Solomons stories are not for me. They go over my head most definitely. Good representation of diverse characters and LGBT+ representation.

I spent a lot of my time reading this and only thinking about how bad a mother that Vern was. She kept leaving her kids behind time and time again and I just kept getting mad at her. I get she is young and was raised in cult but how is it that she knows every single plant and different hunting and crafting techniques but not to leave your infants in a lean-to all night long while you spend the night out with a random person. I read other reviews that said she had a lot of growth but I personally didnt see it.

I felt like there was also a lot of plot holes that some people explained as hallucinations but maybe it was the writing that it didnt convey that to me with the first few instances. Especially the scene where her son was floating down the river but then all of sudden just fine playing on the bank and then another situation where they wefe walking off with a random woman in the woods but then not.

Along similar themes of how The Deep was, both books went over my head and I was just left confused a majority of the time. I think there is definitely some good things going for this one with the writing and atmosphere but the weird skips and the rapid events made this a bummer for me because the premise was so interesting to me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the earc for early access to read and review.

A modern gothic horror story with tons of twists and turns and a whole range of characters. It was a very dark read, but unique in its own right. The author created a whole world full of unique circumstances and even more unique story line. Definitely recommended for someone looking a different, original story. Based on the cover alone, I thought it would be more sci fi oriented, however I still enjoyed the story.

Representation matters and that's what I enjoyed in this story. I plan on looking for more work that this author puts out.

Rivers has this incredible voice that makes everything around you disappear. The writing is an art in and of itself. The story feels so real despite the knowledge that it can't be (or can it?). It's raw and angry and beautiful. Rivers has the talent of a century.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy!

I just saw the wonderful cover of this book and the author, and didn’t even bother with the synopsis before requesting the advance copy. Because gothic horror is not my thing at all and the author’s fierce and unbridled writing makes for an unforgettable but difficult read.

The writing is truly gorgeous right from the get go. Despite the difficulty of the subject matter, I was engrossed completely and didn’t wanna put it down at all. The author perfectly captures the unforgiving atmosphere of the woods as well as the dread that follows Vern in the form of the far reaches of the cult Cainland she is escaping. There are also lots of horrifying and unexpected twists and turns, which kept me on my toes, always wondering what was gonna happen next. But the ending did feel quite different from the rest of the book and I still don’t know how I feel about it.

Through Vern’s harrowing struggle for survival with her two little boys, the author explores many themes like identity, motherhood, gender, sexuality, misogyny, race, and what it means to crave connections - either with humans or the nature. At the same time, the author also shows a mirror to the darkest parts of American history, especially how the exploitation and experimentation of Black bodies forms one of the major sources of progress for this country.

The writing is very straightforward, giving us unflinching truths through Vern who doesn’t know any pretense and is full of rage and grief. Her kids Feral and Howling literally grow up in the wild without knowing other humans but they are sharp and tough, with lots of love for their mother even if their relationship doesn’t feel very conventional in societal terms. Gogo and Bridget are great side characters, full of compassion and caring, who finally show that there is still some hope left in this cruel world. On the opposite spectrum, we get to see some of the members of Cainland and experience the horrific results when naked ambition for power at the cost of humans meets religious fanaticism and misogynistic entitlement.

To conclude, this is not a book for everyone and I’m not even sure to whom I can recommend it. Pick it up if you are ready for stunning atmospheric writing, an unflinching look at history which is also very much relevant to our contemporary times, and a group of characters who may be on the fringes of society, but their capacity for survival and love is boundless.

I didn't think I'd like this book at all, but I was pleasantly surprised halfway through. I've never read anything like it before. It feels like a blend of stories and genres I've read and enjoyed while being completely new to me. I enjoyed the mentions of events in the history of the relationship between the African-American community and the government in a way that prodded me to explore further even though I'd learned about these things before. This book sorta defies categorization. It's about race and religious fanaticism and exploitation and queerness and connection and so much more.

I am still thinking about this book even after I read it. It has a little of everything in terms of book genres. The beginning was a bit hard to grasp, but I managed to navigate it once I got the hang of the writing, the context and the whole story in itself. It’s definitely a different type of book that is hard to describe but that speaks about the hardships women face, specially women of color, and the aftermath of racism, sexism, being in a cult , among other hardships. There is also lgbtq+ representation. A different book, but a must have. Will buy a physical copy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy.

This is a roller coaster ride of a horror novel that takes on everything from cults to colonialism to secret scientific experimentation.

There is much to admire and love about this book and its inquiry into racism, sexism, misogyny, religious fanaticism, and motherhood. It is genre-bending, with tones of literary fiction, sci-fi, horror, and fantasy. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good literary read and doesn't mind the true sci-fi/horror elements.

Great read! I wasn’t sure where this was going and could never have anticipated the ending. I will purchase this title for the library.

This started out incredibly dark and disturbing (right up my alley of interest). The writing style is intentionally aged; I’d say an acquired taste. It was too distressing to put down. This book is not for the weak of heart, but I also feel that it’s going to be one of 2021’s essential reads. The plot is something truly exceptional and deeply moving.

Sorrowland tackles so many urgent themes and discussions: domestic violence and its lasting damage, motherhood and postpartum depression, racism, sexism, lgbtq+, mental illness and the journey to healing, religion/cults, etc. this felt difficult to categorize because, at times, it’s all over the place lyrically.

If you can keep up with all of the context and subtext, this is an important read. I do recommend it, but would say it’s worth checking for TW of difficult things that may be challenging to face reading.

I went into this book blind. I hadn't read the synopsis or more than a few excellent reviews before starting it.  I think it would've saved some initial confusion if I had.

Fleeing a cult and an unwanted marriage, 15 year old Vern barely escapes with her life. She is almost blind and pregnant, giving birth to twins on the run. Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon definitely isn't what I expected. What unusual characters. Frankly I'm not sure what to think of this book. It's a weird one. I can appreciate the writing. The condition of Vern's back literally made mine itch at one point. Still, I confess to having lost interest in the storyline a few different times and ended up finishing some other books in the midst of reading this one. Overall, this is a bizarre story of mysterious fungal infection, government experimentation, maternal strength, love and survival.

"The Blessed Acres of Cain was a psyop...'We’re an experiment or something, Test subjects,' said Vern, shaking."

LGBTQ friendly

Sorrowland releases May 4th 2021. Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books (@fsgbooks) for gifting me an advance copy for review.

Vern, a heavily pregnant teen, flees her Black separatist compound. But in the woods around them lurk fiends who hunt and taunt her. As she raises her twins, her own body seems to turn against her, hiding perhaps monstrous secrets of her own. Vern doesn’t know how, much less who, to trust, and she doesn’t know how to ask for the help she needs, though she finds people who extend it to her anyway. This is a worthy sequel to Solomon’s first novel, a story of rage and injustice that doesn’t feel hopeless despite how little faith it has in America (especially its white people).

4 stars--I really liked it.

This book defies genre. Horror? Sci-fi? Allegory? It's all of these, plus a thriller and a love story (it's not for the squeamish, though). I enjoyed Vern for both her strengths and her weaknesses. Her quest for the truth (about herself, her family, and her past) kept me up late reading.

Recommended for lovers of weird fiction--or anyone willing to push boundaries.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

What a marvelous book. Sure to get people talking. You're thrown in to a story about race, motherhood and acceptance. The way the author reveals information is a thing of beauty. More to come.

Another unique and thought-provoking story from Rivers Solomon

In this book, Vern, a black teenager, runs away from her home, which is a pro-Black community's compound excluded from the outer society. Out of the (Cain)land and into the woods, she has to bear and raise her children on her own and eventually face the truth about herself and the place she once habited in

I'll admit that I haven't been able to wrap the whole story around my head yet. There were so many crazy things going on in this book I literally forgot that this is actually a fantasy book while there were near-to-zero mentions of any supernatural factors in the first half. However, the writing made everything seem slow and calm and normal as hell. Basically, it managed to be both so unhinged yet so elegant. The racial and LGBT+ representation in this book was top-notch, beyond boundaries maybe.

Yet, I'm afraid that much as Rivers tried to introduce so many subplots into the story, they left many seemingly important details normalized to the point of forgettable. Maybe it had to do with the main character's POV, but unfortunately, I was not entirely invested, despite its great plot materials.

All in all, I definitely had some fun reading this book. But I can't say I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This book was a phenomenal ride, dense with exploration of seeking freedom in the wake of racist and patriarchal barriers. Rivers does a solid job incorporating intersectionality, witnessing misogynoir, analyzing the Black patriarchal, and using science fiction to observe white supremacists structures that violate Black bodies, indoctrinate Black people for a violent purpose, maintain slavery and manipulation. "Sorrowland" actually reminded me very much of Toni Morrison's "Paradise" (which is mentioned in the latter half of the book)--pointing out the flaws of Black patriarchy, the misogynoir therein, the homophobic lens that punishes the sexual liberty and being of lgbt and divergent Black people. A call out to say, Black patriarchy that mimics white colonization and logic does not benefit everyone and is not a route to liberation. Focused on an albino Black person navigating her gender, her sexuality and her sense of self as she struggles to escape and mentally and physically deviates from the Black sexist, patriarchal commune she is manipulated into. And so the story then centers Vern and her children as they grow and develop outside of that space. But to complicate the escape, Vern is also mutating as she explores her rather young motherhood in the woods, her self-hood, her deprogramming beyond the compound. So the narration sprawls through time--it spans four years with dips into flashbacks. The environment goes from isolation in the compound with a set of rules, to the woods and the boundlessness of that space and limited surveillance, to "civilization", and then for a time isolated in a place of healing, then back to compound--I mention these areas because they draw out Vern's development both mentally, spiritually and physically as she engages with her surroundings and the people. So ultimately there is a lot going on. And that I feel like is where I have some conflict with the book because while I enjoyed the very loving introspective growth of Vern and the people she has come to gather in her newly formed circle of trust and love--it took away from the complicated build. Like Vern herself became the deus ex machina to a very loaded plot riddled with police brutality, military abuse, Black bodies being experimented on and such. I just felt the last few chapters winded me and I'm grateful for the narrative that does not rely on the genocide of Black people--i just wished that the story was maybe even broken up into different books to resolve the ending. The story was broken up into parts but resolved itself abruptly and in a way that was nice to see but also didn't feel satisfying. But overall love the lore built on history and love the tender LGBT love and conversations that felt necessary. The creature feature aspect of it was interesting--wished there was more but it was def a speculative fiction that leaned towards the self-hood and being-ness of a Black gender-variant person.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and I went in knowing nothing of this book. I requested it based on the author's name... I've read The Deep by @rivers.solomon and loved every word. This book sucked me in from the very first page. I had to force myself to set it down so I could sleep this morning! I haven't even finished it and I can already rank it as a 5 star read! I'm amazed!!

"Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction. Here, monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire nations. It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction." - Netgalley

It's set for publication 4th May 2021
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As a new mom, I found this book incredibly difficult to read at times, but also kind of earth shattering. It moved me profoundly and I was impressed that Solomon does things with the fantasy genre that even this prolific reader has never seen before. I'll read anything this author writes!