Sorrowland focuses on Vern, a teenage African albino raised in a cult-like compound known as Cainland. When we meet her she’s fleeing from Cainland around seven months pregnant....with twins!
Early in she gives birth like a boss to her babies in the forest; & continues to raise them off of the land for years, which was fascinating.
We’re given little hints throughout that there’s something special about Vern. She develops a super strength while living wild in the forest, and starts to become haunted by ghosts.
Things take a turn after she develops a relationship with a woman in the local town, & she again has to flee with her now two small toddlers. Her goal is to reach a childhood friend Lucy who has also escaped from the compound.
While on the run she comes down with an illness that leaves her completely debilitated. She is able to reach her destination, only to find that Lucy is not there, but is graciously taken in by Lucy’s relatives Bridget & Gogo.
This sounds like an info dump but I swear this is only a small portion of this wild story. Vern begins to undergo a transformation that is enthralling. I NEEDED to know what the heck was going on. The payoff is 100% worth the investment.
Thanks to Farrar, Strauss & Giroux & Netgallt for the advanced reader copy!

Vern was a captivating protagonist from page one. Gritty, determined, flawed, clever, and resourceful. The story slowly fills in all the details of a life that wasn't what it seemed, and an ending that you can't predict. It was beautiful, ugly, engaging, and awe inspiring.

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! I’ve been highly anticipating all of Rivers Solomon’s works, and this did not disappoint. I feel like their work is getting darker each book, and the ghostly/horror elements in this made it impossible to put down.

The story of 15-year-old Vern and her twin children escaping an abusive cult, as she is developing an illness that causes what seem to be hallucinations. In a way this felt like Lakewood mixed with Mexican Gothic but very much written by Rivers Solomon.

I will never get over the way they can write themes of gender fluidity, queerness, and the Black experience so effortlessly in a way that feels easy but deeply personal.

I loved this, thank you for the ARC!

I received this ARC from Farrar, Straus and Giroux from NetGalley! Thank you for this in exchange for an honest review.

This is like nothing I have ever read before. Sorrowland follows a 15 year old girl through four years of her life and her journey as she escapes a cult, births twins, tries to survive in the woods, and ultimately seeks answers about what exactly is happening to her body. This concept was so interesting but I struggled with some aspects of it. I felt like it was trying a little too hard at being an insightful piece, when in reality, the ending was one of the only impactful parts. A lot of the main character’s actions were questionable, but I ultimately kept reading because the storytelling and themes were SO good. Touching on the exploration of sexuality, racial tensions, religion, and the patriarchal society, I found myself, at multiple points, wondering whether I’ve ever read a book with so many important topics in one. I came to the conclusion that I haven’t, and that’s why I feel like this is an important read.

I found it hard to visualize some aspects of this book as well because of how otherworldly it was, but Sorrowland was a book I will not stop thinking about anytime soon! It’s definitely on the likes of Us by Jordan Peele-psychologically thrilling until the last page.

At the start of Sorrowland we find Vern giving birth to twins in the deeps of a forest. They've escaped a strict cult, one arisen from a racial movement, and they're intent on getting Vern back. To overcome, and fight back, Vern unleashes a great and dangerous power that they will struggle to understand, all the while raising their children without the confines of society's rules.

I'm in awe of what Rivers Solomon has managed to achieve with Sorrowland. They manage to capture and reimagine a complicated and brutal past and present it in such a way that feels new yet no less impactful. Vern and the other characters are those in standard society who are often overlooked, or seen as 'less than', and Rivers brings their trauma and their insight to the forefront.

The writing is beautiful and poignant, full of atmosphere and tenderness but I admit I did struggle with the prose at times. It tends to veer towards the lyrical at times, which for me personally, lessened the emotional impact. However this should not take away just how exceptional this story is, and just how many ideas and concepts are brought to the table in such an imaginative way.

A highly impactful piece, from a writer that gives a voice to those often forgotten.

3.5 stars. I'm grateful for this arc provided by the publisher thought NetGalley.

This was a disturbing at times and very touching story. It was incredible to imagine Vern going through all that at such a young age. I liked the writing mostly, however multiple times I felt the story was dragged. It wasn't very easy to get through the story sometimes. I would still definitely recommend this book.

Sorrowland is the story about a woman who escapes a religious compound and finds herself in the wild. She sets up a camp for her and her newborns and changes start to happen. I can't really describe the book much more without ruining it. It is fantastic, heartbreaking, and terrifying. The book does not fit into any one mold. I absolutely loved it. The characters are fantastic. I loved Gogo and Vern, such deep characters. The settings were very well written, you could really lose yourself in the words. This book is truly special. I can't wait to read more by the author, they are amazing.

Sorrowland begins with the tone of a runaway slave story, and although we soon learn that this is alternative present-day setting, the tone remains true. Vern has run away from a cultish group where the God of Cain presides. The truth of the group will remain hidden from Vern and from the reader for much of the novel, but those revelations come alongside the revelations of who and what Vern really is. Part suspense, part horror, part science fiction, part scathing critique of contemporary American prejudices against transsexuality, transgenderism, and anything identified as the other, Sorrowland will provoke both compassion and rage, incredulousness and horror. Hopefully, Sorrowland will also contribute to the national conversation over the damage that the war against "the other" in America has done to those outside of white, European, dominant culture.

Sorrowland touched on so many interesting topics. Vern just doesn’t fit into any slot. She’s an albino woman from an African American family. And she escapes the cult where she didn’t belong. The idea of being 15, alone and birthing twins in the wilderness just floors me. Although the concept was so interesting, I just didn’t enjoy reading it. There were parts that dragged on and took away from the character.

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing an eARC of Sorrowland through Netgalley!

When I first started this book I was really apprehensive about continuing. I am glad I did, but it was nothing like what I expected, to say the least. The writing was phenomenal, it flowed well and was easy to read, but the content at times got confusing. At one point it changed point-of-views for a couple of chapters with no warning whatsoever, something I was able to catch eventually with context clues. It was the only time it ever changed POVs, which really made it stand out as weird. I chose to give this book 3 stars because, while it is wildly different from what I would normally choose to read, I didn’t want to let that take away from a rating. Overall, it was extremely interesting once I got through the oddness of it. It had some great plot twists and character interactions, and I thought the commentary on race relations, sexuality, gender, religion, and life and death were interesting. It is definitely an interesting book about humanity and the dark and light that can come of it.

TW// Death, neglect, abuse, self harm, racism, homophobia

(Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

The forest is hungry, always watching. Freedom comes at a price.

Vern is a young mother, birthing twins in the middle of a hostile forest, haunted by death and fears. Escaping from a cult being chased down and hunted, she must learn to adapt and survive despite the world being against her, not just for herself but for her children.

The first couple chapters launch you directly into the action, incredibly fast paced you don't get much time to absorb what is happening before it moves onto the next thing. Luckily, the pacing slows down (but not too much) after a short bit, leading into the children growing up and learning about the world they where thrust into.

Generally the pacing overall is done well aside from the aforementioned issue. The story flows well past the start and the characters all mostly have good growth.

There's a couple character issues I have though, like severe child neglect for no reason at the start, but somehow everything's perfectly fine and there's no issues or outcome from that. Generally dialogue from antagonists that's supposed to be manipulating as well, just comes across weirdly.

On a positive note, there's some fantastic representation! Vern is an albino black woman, she has poor eyesight to the point of being nearly blind, however she doesn't let this hold her down too much. There is also a trans(?) character, strong BIPOC representation, and a hell of a strong queer theme throughout! Both WLW and MLM are in this novel, explicit but consensual sex also happens multiple times in both cases.

Overall, it was a much more enjoyable book them I thought it would be at the start. I found myself getting lost in the mystery, horror and the almost fantasy-like feel to the world of Sorrowland.

note for publisher: this is the same review as for the uk edition of the book, i was somehow approved for both copies on netgalley

Sorrowland is Rivers Solomons latest novel, and is a wild fever dream of a novel. Exploring themes of death, life and ultimately what it means to be human whilst also touching on race, gender, sexuality and motherhood this book ties it all together into a emotional ride.

We are following Vern, who at the start of the novel escapes a cult that she has been raised in. She gives birth to two children in the woods and from there we watch as she raises the children in the woods, whilst being haunted by strange ghosts of her past and her body is undergoing a metamorphesis. She is also being hunted down by the cult and a starnge figure called the fiend. Slowly throughout the novel secrets are revealed as well as goverment conspiracies and hidden agendas.

The best way I can describe this is weird but extremely compelling. I loved the exploration of the woods and nature, and there was a quote towards the end explaining the name of the novel and that almost made me start sobbing. This novel really explores memory and how people live on through others, we see literal and metaphorical ghosts (and I love ghosts so this was a major plus for me!!!) and the consequences these ghosts have on our main character Vern.

I found the cult aspect really interesting, they worship the god of cain seeing the traditional chirstian god as an abomination. The cult is also exclusively black people, and they are eschewing the corrupting influence of white people and the diseases of the west. They also very much look down of homosexuality and see it has a white mans disease, which definitely affects Vern and how she sees herself and discovers her sexuality, slowly learning to see it without shame.

I adored Verns children, Howling and Feral, they added so much to the story for me and seeing Vern's struggles and joy in raising them was so emotional. They were also both so cute and I loved seeing their little personalities develop. The theme of motherhood is big in this novel, and the things mothers do for their children which may not seem like a good idea in hindsight but is the best they can do at the time, as well as the sacrifies mothers make.

The relationships explored in this book were also fascinating, I esepcially loved Gogo and Verns relationships, and there were some suprisingly steamy sexual scenes!!!!! (sapphic sex scenes is always something i love to see). I also loved the discussion of masturabation and Verns wild and joyous exploration of her body.

There was also some very interesting discussions on gender, with Gogo being trans (and some element of non-binary as well) and I believe Vern was intersex although this word wasn't explicitly used. Howling and Feral are also always used he/him pronouns for both but it is implied this might not match their genetalia. They are very much raised away from gender expectations and I think this is a great way of demostrating how children should just be able to devlop their personalities without having the restrictions of societal expectations.

I think, similar to an unkindness of ghosts, this book struggles a little with the pacing. I was kept engaged throughout despite a fairly steady pace, which I was enjoying and felt like a good chance to really explore the themes and characters however the last 10% the pacing becoems really fast and explosive events start happening and I just felt this was a little jarring and didn't have enough time to explore the consequences. Despite this I did still really enjoy the book!!!

In conclusion, a beautifully written immersive novel, looking at some of the darker aspects of humanity but also how beautiful things can grow from this.

Rivers Solomon's Sorrowland is a gorgeous, haunting story about family, self-discovery, and hope in the face of injustice. The book opens with Vern, the protagonist, escaping the cult where she grew up, fleeing into the woods in the surrounding area to raise her children away from the oppressive power of the cult and her husband.

From there, it unspools into a wonderful urban sci-fi coming-of-age story, interwoven with commentary on oppressive power structures, love, family, consent, self-discovery, and self-acceptance. The characters, most of whom are PoC and/or queer, are beautifully realized and very human. The stranger aspects of the story are interspersed with small, charming bits of human drama, which make the world delightful and very believable, even in its "stranger" aspects.

My one critique is that the pacing at times felt a little unbalanced, and that the beginning was not as gripping as the rest of the novel. it took most of the first section before I felt really invested in Vern, in her family and her story, and it felt like the overarching plot escalated so quickly it was almost jarring in the remainder of the book.

Very much recommended, and I look forward to continuing to devour everything that Rivers Solomon ever writes. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was brilliant. It's full of metaphors about generational trauma and systemic racism. The lush prose about the forest and vivid descriptions of Vern's survival in the wilderness was definitely this story's strongest element. Also, I loved the gothic and transformational element of the story.

Vern, the main character, has recently fled Cainland and must survive in the wilderness. The book opens as Vern is giving birth in he wilderness. This book is 1 part survival story, 1 part gothic, and 1 part sci-fi. While I loved the deeper meaning of the story and the beautiful writing, I did get lost at times in the writing structure. It was pretty dense, and it wasn't filled with a lot of dialogue. I especially began to lose steam at the 60% mark. I believe it is because this novel tackles a lot of different genres and it is easy to get overwhelmed with all the constant shifts.

However, despite having slight personal issues with the writing structure, this novel is a transcendent, magic, and unique experience that you can only get from cracking it open and giving it a shot for yourself.

Book Review for Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

Sorrowland is the story of Vern, her escape from a commune-turned-cult, her motherhood, her restless, righteous hunt for survival, for safety and for answers. It's also the story of state atrocities, overt & covert, of medical experimentation, of the body-horror and body-euphoria of transformation, of identity & feeling & being beyond the limits of language, of trauma and fury and also, insistently, tenderness.

On a conceptual level, it's brilliant and sharp-edged and startling and exhilarating; on a prose level, it's both transparent and beautiful, lush, earthy, vivid in details but always clear and always moving. Just really, really, exquisitely good!

With a compelling narration, the author takes us to know the life of Vern, a young woman who grew up in a cult and who decided to escape under very difficult circumstances.

Vern will have to survive in the forest but when it's no longer safe, she will have to venture out into the world in order to protect her little family.

It's a very interesting premise, with very sad moments, action and situations that kept me very concerned about the well-being of the characters. It's a book that very slowly shows what is happening, so if you are more of a fan of quick stories perhaps this is not for you. Personally, I found that the story was lost at times, and that it isn't explained very well how to you get from point 1 to 2 and 3. The relationships between the characters is hasty but still entertaining. It's not my style of reading to be honest.... but I liked the storytelling.

Thanks to Rivers Solomon, Tor.com, and Netgalley for the advanced readying e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sorrowland is one of those books I slowed down reading towards the end because I simply did not want it to finish. It follows Vern from the point where she leaves the cult she grew up in, a pregnant teenager full of determination and rage. She discovers more about herself as her world expands from the forest where she raises her children. This book is equal parts rough emotion and beautiful imagery. Solomon writes with poetry and fury, building an incredible, unique character. This draws on ghost stories, hauntings, earth magic and modern history to create something that is totally its own. It was different from The Deep, the only other work I've read by them, but explores some of the same themes. It's queer and black and just so captivating. Includes Native American third-gender representation. Trigger warnings for child abuse, racism and violence.

As always I would like to start out by saying I am not own voices in this subject so please go check out those reviews first.
I loved this book! I knew I was going to like it since I liked Rivers' other books so much especially the Deep. That being said this is a really hard book to review. This book covers a lot and most of it I have no authority to speak on.
I can say I really enjoyed the plot Rivers constructed. I couldn't put this book down because I just had to know what was going to happen. The mystery they created was so good and spooky in a way I was not expecting. Honestly over all the plot of this book was just amazing.
I also really enjoyed the characters. I especially loved Howling and Feral. The two were so distinctly different and unique from any other characters I have read. They were one of the most fascinating parts of the story for me and I honestly they had been in the story a bit more.
If you are looking for a unique fantasy/horror this id the book for you. This book also deals with some amazing and tough subject in a unique way. (Again check out own voices reviews for thought on those subjects.) This definitely a book I can not wait to read again and show off and recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley for an early review copy.

3.5/5 stars

🐻 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc!


✨I seem to be the person with the lowest rating but i'm not too surprised. Rivers' writing was lush and alluring, both being its own downfalls. It at times was confusing, dynamic and heartwarming. My favorite parts were definitely ones in which we dwell into the twins' relationship with their bearer, as some things happen that move the story forward. Let it be known that 3.5 isn't a low number, this is a review where i do more praise than slander. Speaking of, a critique would perhaps be the lack of continuity in terms of timing and prose. It either goes on a long string of puzzled together words or described into on simple sentence. Feral is amazing.