4.5/5 stars

Trigger warnings include: animal cruelty, self harm, sexual abuse, homophobia, cults, transphobia, ableism, fatphobia, drug abuse, gaslighting, explicit sexual content, mutilation, human experimentation, racism, torture, cannibalism and manipulation. Please proceed with caution ♥

A harrowing, profound, raw read about the nature within, the trauma around and the strength of connections. Part gothic horror, part science fiction, part dystopian, this is the story of Vern, who fought for the autonomy of her body in a world that struggled to take it away and bloomed an armour around her, a shield from the cruelty. It is a story about the horrors some people endure, the beauty in the smallest things and the malice of the world, that sometimes can be driven away from the nature.

The way it was written had my breathless, and the characters carved a part in my heart. The horror this book explored and the need to breathe and expand away from it was so powerfully written that it made my teeth rattle. The fights, the love, the way the world waxed and waned around Vern, all of it was like living in a fever dream but also a dark reality, and I liked it a lot. There is not a lot to say about this tale without giving spoilers away, but keep in mind that it is first and foremost a story about survival, tenderness and strength mixed, community in its best and worst phases and most of all growth.

Overall, it was a story that heavily impacted me and will stay with me for years. I highly recommend this for fans of Mexican Gothic, the movie Get Out, dystopian fiction and stories about fighting with all you have until it transforms you ♥

Intriguing, interesting and different story. I liked this book because it was perfectly written with a great sci-fi twist. This is not my typical genre but Vern had my attention until the end. Very inclusive and diverse book!

Haunting and visceral, SORROWLAND is the story of a Black intersex teenage mother and her children after leaving a religious compound for the woods. It has a subtle kind of intensity where each passage is bearable, but any literal description of the plot tends toward a catalog of horrors.

This book has such a beautiful way with language. The words weave and roll; mesmerizing whether describing turning a deer’s sinew into bowstring, the ever-changing wonder of Vern’s children growing up, or the strange and monstrous changes taking over her body. Since it is a horror story about a mother, I’ll clarify that her relationship with her children is not a source of horror. The way the children are described is full of love, exasperation, and endearment, usually in equal parts, wrapped in the tension between protectiveness and fostering their growing autonomy. It’s about a person fostering their own sense of agency as they care for someone else, as they have people to protect.

The worldbuilding inhabits a strange space where many relevant facets of US history are alluded to or perhaps even briefly described, but because one character or another is hearing of them for the first time, the narrative gives space and understanding to pull the reader in if they are similarly unfamiliar. In many ways the true horror is how little of the book requires the speculative elements in order to be terrifying, for often the mundane details are the most grotesque.

CW for ableism, homophobia, transphobia, interphobia, kidnapping, medical content, sexual content, infertility, cancer (not depicted), blood, gore, violence, gun violence, emotional abuse, physical abuse, domestic abuse, adult/minor relationship, child abuse, self harm, body horror, animal death, suicide, parental death, child death, death.

TW for mention of AIDS (brief).

I was given a free advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This story throws you right into a crisis then slowly leads you through the backstory and set up of its universe. I was so intrigued (and sometimes infuriated) with Vern and her choices. The sci-if twist was well done, the plot was quick and engrossing. This gave me serious Michael Crichton vibes, especially as the mystery of the compound and Vern’s “passenger” are revealed.

If you are ready for an LGBT Gothic Science Fiction novel, then Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon will be ready for you on May 4, 2021. It is like no other book that I have read before, which is saying something. I have read a lot of books.

The book begins as Vern has just escaped from Cainland, a religious and political commune. People may call it a Black Nationalist commune with a focus on religion. I don’t know if the Black Panther Party would approve of this commune or the leaders. Many of the children at the commune are named after leaders of the Black Panthers. If I remember correctly, Vern was named after Vernon Johns, a civil rights leader.

At the beginning of the book, Vern has just given birth to twins, Howling and Feral. She is also on the run from someone that has been sent to bring Vern back to Cainland. Vern isn’t sure who the person is so she calls him or her “The Fiend.” Vern would rather live in the woods with two newborns than return to Cainland. She manages to fend off the fiend and the wolves for a long time. Finally, she decides it is time to find her friend, Lucy, who also escaped from Cainland. Vern travels with her children and finds Lucy’s family, Aunt Bridget and cousin, Gogo. Bridget and Gogo take in Vern and the children.

Vern has noticed that her body is changing in unusual ways. She’s becoming stronger and faster. Is she turning into a supernatural being? Although the children are young, they notice the changes in their mother.

Vern suspects that the leaders at Cainland are behind the changes. It’s possible isn’t it?!

Howling and Feral are interesting characters. I’m not sure if they are boys or girls. It doesn’t matter. They are both so smart and resourceful. They are growing so fast. I’m not sure if they are growing faster than usual or if it’s just the way the timeline works.

If you like science fiction or gothic fiction with nonbinary characters, then you might love this book as much as I did.

If you are not a fan of African-American history, social issues, or just a hater of people of color and the LBGT community, then you are not ready for this book yet.

The following excerpt is from Wikipedia. I highly recommend learning about the Black Panther Party.

The Black Panther Party first publicized its original “What We Want Now!” Ten-Point program on May 15, 1967, following the Sacramento action, in the second issue of The Black Panther newspaper.[55]

We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community.
We want full employment for our people.
We want an end to the robbery by the Capitalists of our Black Community.
We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings.
We want education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present day society.
We want all Black men to be exempt from military service.
We want an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of Black people.
We want freedom for all Black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails.
We want all Black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their Black Communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States.
We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace.
I received this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

She be interesting ideas and premises here, but the overall work didn’t gel for me. Beginning with the feel of a fairy tale, this novel veers into science fiction and horror. There’s a lot going on here, but some plot points were not well developed.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sorrowland definitely followed the same path as The Deep with me. I was confused on so many things that were happening. I also had endless questions forming in my brain too. Some of the answers that I received at the end left a bittersweet feeling in my mouth. I was honestly really sad about some things towards the last couple of pages.. but it feels good to have answers at the same time.

In it, you will meet Vern. Now she is about 15 years old and about to give birth to some twins - which she later names Howling and Feral. They live in the woods and sort of follow one rule - always listen to Vern. The reason why is because she left this cult for a ton of reasons and is trying her very hardest to keep them all safe and sound.

Eventually things get weird and mysterious. Vern starts to see things and I honestly couldn't keep track of what was real or not. Which is probably why I devoured this book so freaking quickly. I had questions and I needed to find some answers pronto.

In the end, this book was magical in it's own way. It is definitely something that you will have to sit and digest at times but it was well worth it. So happy that I got the chance to dive into this and look forward to Rivers next book!

This was a truly devasting novel that should be a classic in both speculative and literary genres for decades to come. Rivers Solomon is a true treasure and fey should be on the top of everyone's list right now.

Sorrowland opens suddenly, with Vern, a young teen, giving birth to twins in a forest while in the midst of fleeing from her home and the fiend who is after her. 

Vern’s journey is filled with the unexpected, a surprise behind every corner. As she strives to find a life for herself and her children, her body starts changing in unimaginable ways. And no matter how hard she may try to fight it, her past follows her. The story progresses and we learn about the home she is so desperately trying to get away from- Cainland, a cult riddled with abuse, disguised as a safe haven (and liberation) for Black folx. But, as Vern searches for freedom, she finds more questions leading straight back to Cainland.

This genre-bending novel is my first taste of Rivers Solomon’s work. The story is exciting and intriguing, intertwining traces of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and gothic. The backstory for the plot is relevant to our own past and present. Solomon has created an alternate world preceded by our true history of racism and sexism. One of my favourite aspects of Sorrowland is the inclusive set of characters written with consideration and sensitivity. There is no alienation or overembellishment of social identities (2S, lesbian, Black, Indigenous, low socioeconomic status, etc).

The only thing I didn’t like is the development of the twins. To me, they weren’t believable. Their speech and vocabulary are inconsistent and their abilities are unrealistic (intuition, physical skills, etc). Of course, there are many make-believe elements within the book, but I wasn’t convinced by the twins.

This book really surprised me with the many elements it has within it. The author's writing style is nothing short of genious, and I appreciate the many inclusive traits for the characters. There was so much representation here, all of which I aplaud the author for.
The novel opens with Vern, who is a 15 year old pregnant runaway who is escaping her cult-like compound. We see her handle this with extreme bravery and resiliance throughout the entirety of the novel.. There are many fantastical, horror and sci-fi elements as well as religious themes throughout this story. I have never read anything like it! I was gripped from page one, but the pacing fell off around the halfway point. The story took a turn and I am not quite sure the setup for it was there. I felt ripped from one story into an action-packed and generally confusing one. I did fall completely in love with the twins, especially Howling, who we saw a lot more from than Feral. I do believe I will continue to pick up books by this author in the future, with hopes for a better ending.


*Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Sorrowland opens with our protagonist, Vern Fields, out in the woods giving birth to twins all by her lonesome. Yeah, that’s an opening that will grab your attention.

If that were not enough, there is a malevolence — Vern calls it the Fiend — in these woods that harrows Vern and taunts her with offerings of baby-symbolic death: constant dead animals with accompanying baby accessories.

What we learn of Vern in the first half of the book is downright horrifying. She is a 15 year-old Black albino, very visually impaired, and raised in (and escaped from) a Black-centric compound/cult/commune known as the Blessed Acres of Cain.

I hate reviewing books where I feel like any little bit of detail I give could give away a major plot surprise, and Sorrowland is definitely this kind of story. There are minutiae galore, but, in an amazing display of story organization, Mx. Solomon has a wonderful little path for each and every one of them. The “everything in its right place” person in me adores this.

Ok, back to Vern. Over the next few years, Vern raises her two children — Howling and Feral — in the wild woods with zero human contact aside from the continued harrowing by the Fiend. Howling and Feral grow bigger and become more wily and rambunctious in their free environment, but Vern senses that she is going through some changes.

All the while, she is in constant fear of being discovered by someone who will drag her and her children back to the Blessed Acres of Cain. Back to the horrors of Ascensions, daily “vitamin” shots, and general tyranny under the gaze of her husband who is the leader of this commune.

And that’s it! That’s all I’m letting you know. Just let me tell you that shit definitely escalates from there.

I’ll be brutally honest, when I started it, I wasn’t really in the right headspace to appreciate the nuance of how this story was setting up. It wasn’t until I realized that there was a much bigger tale here than one of just mere survival that I was totally missing. Mx. Solomon deftly sets up a grim tableau and then proceeds to stack piece after piece upon the stage in a slow build of mystery, intrigue and mild horror until it seems that no outcome will be remotely acceptable in the “happy ending” category.

For me, Sorrowland is a story about the myriad aspects and facets of self-reliance. Never before have I experienced a character that so defines the concept of “grey area” in personality and actions as Vern Fields. I often found myself shaking my head at her sheer obstinance, but, as I began to realize that Vern only trusted Vern (and sometimes not even that), her methodical approach in a fuzzy world was what she equates with survival.

Don’t even get me started on electricity food.

My eyeball rolling meter peaked out over the top with Sorrowland. What is my eyeball-o-meter? When eyeball rolling is used instead of actual dialogue or emotions. The twins roll their eyeballs, the cook at Auntie's rolls his eyeballs, major characters and minor characters roll their eyeballs. I started to roll my eyeballs at all the eyeball rolling. (I have a smirk-o-meter, too. Although there were some smirks in Sorrowland, it wasn't near as bad as the eyeball rolling.)

I wanted to like this, but for an action/adventure story it so often dragged for me. Perhaps it can be tightened up before publication. I like description, especially if it moves the story along, but if the description is dragging down an action scene, get rid of it. It only slows things down. For instance, a character steals a car from a strip mall and they make their escape. But all the stores and restaurants in the strip mall are listed. Why? That has nothing to do with the theft or escape. It only slows the action down. We know what strip malls look like, we don't need to know what's in one if it has nothing to do with the plot. Oh, another place was when the protagonist stopped at a rundown motel. There are three pages of the motel owner and her daughter bickering at each other. They are minor characters but three pages are given over to their bickering.

This could be a much better book with better editing. There's some fat that can be trimmed. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC of Sorrowland.

The was a spectacular genre-bending novel, it while having sci-fi fantasy elements, executed more on the character of Vern and her babies. We got to see a thematic masterpiece, on finding oneself, trauma, survival and motherhood. There were scenes where i too was panicking along with Vern, regarding her children and this just goes to how great the writing itself was. One highlight for me was the getting to know Vern’s voice and her perceptions on a lot of topics including, gender and sexuality and how she comes to term with how she see things inspite of what she was brainwashed to think.

As for the element if sci-fi fantasy, it remained just that, an element, it wasn’t a plot beyond Vern but rather something that has happened to her and this story is how she’s dealing with it. Its a very character driven story and while I appreciate that, the lack of apparent plot kept me bored at times.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an arc in exchange of an honest review.

This is a weird one to review.

First, I must say that Rivers Solomon is a remarkably talented writer and <i>Sorrowland</i> demonstrates an intense and original imagination.

Unfortunately, after a strong beginning, I felt that the story suffered and became somewhat muddled as it veered off on some bizarre tangents. Still, it's a pretty cool tale, even if it did get on my nerves a bit (perhaps that was the intention).

I enjoyed Solomon's writing enough to give their other work a peek, even if this particular book didn't exactly knock my socks off.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux for giving me access to an ARC of this wonderful novel via NetGalley.

Rating: 4.2/5 ⭐

Synopsis: Vern is a black woman who is albino. She has grown up on a commune called Cainland, but due to the abuse and strict relious practices at the commune she decides to flee. Vern gives birth in the woods while running away. She must protect her kin from the threat of being found and killed by the people of Cainland. The reader will follow Vern on her journey through womanhood, romance, and self-discovery.

What I loved: This book was mind blowing! I've never read anything like it before. From what the commune stands for, to the fantasy/sci-fi aspects of this book, it will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I have nothing negative to say about this book. Sorrowland was written by a person of color, and about people of color. There is also LGBTQA+ representation in the novel.

Sorrowland is expected to be published May 4, 2021. If you are a lover of sci-fi, or want to read a book that will keep you intrigued from the beginning, definitely purchase a copy of this book.

#sorrowland #lgbtqa #scifi #scienefiction #newbooks #netgalley #reading #read #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookblog #riverssolomon #pocauthor #poccharacters

3.5 stars. interesting concept, very well written, amazing imagery throughout the whole book that really brings you into the story, however I definitely had a hard time getting through it and didn't form any lasting connections to the characters. I especially wish there was more attention paid to Howling and Feral, because after they left the woods they really didn't serve much purpose to the plot, nor were their characters thoroughly explored and developed.

The intricacy of this novel has taken away the words I could formulate to write this review. The only part of me left at the end of Sorrowland was a savage passion the author had stirred up. Nothing will prepare you for the beautiful nightmare endured during this reading.

Usually, an escape from a place you knew was cultish means a reintroduction into society. But for 15-year-old Vern, she escapes a black power semi-religious cult, immediately gives birth to twins in the forest, and then remains living in the woods to raise them. Untrusting, skeptical, and wild, Vern and her children decide life is better without people and systems to influence you.

The best part about this book was the twins, in my opinion. Their questions and exploration of life that Rivers Solomon wrote into their story was a joy to read. The honesty in their relationship with their mom was raw and interesting.

However, as the book progressed, the sci-fi element was completely missing until the last third of the book. Vern's "condition" with her visions was frightful and intriguing, but the physical changes she went through did not feel rooted in much of anything. Perhaps I needed more backstory of the cult compound for that progress to make more sense to me.

As a huge fantasy reader, I just wasn't pulled in.

This book contains the magic that very few authors can accomplish. It’s genre bending to say the least but it almost feels like 2 stories in one. The book starts out one way and totally changes into a whole new genre. Sorrowland is harrowing, poignant, raw, honest, lyrical, ferocious, profound, visceral, and pure magic.

Sorrowland made its way onto my list of 2021’s must reads and is definitely my favorite book of February. Vern is such an unforgettable character and I know this story will be one that stays with me for a long time. I loved the diversity of the characters. This book represents African Americans, indigenous, lgbtq, and persons with disabilities. The overwhelming message this book presents is the loss and abuse of black bodies in the United States, historically and present.

It has been such a privilege to read Sorrowland. I cannot wait to read more books by Rivers Solomon.

Many many thanks to the publisher, Rivers Solomon, and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I only read the first 20%, but as a mother of a young child I was so distressed by the way the main character casually neglects her babies and the way horrible violence against babies is casually mentioned that I did not want to continue subjecting myself to it. I'd recommend adding content to the description that this is a key theme of the first part of the book, because I would have never picked up this book if I knew, and I doubt I'm the only one who will feel this way.