A beautiful, lyric account. Emotion was portrayed well, allowing you to connect to the story in a meaningful way. Would definitely recommend!

I've never read anything like Sorrowland, and I'm at a little bit of a loss for how to describe a story that feels intimate and immense in equal measure. The narrative follows Vern, a pregnant young woman whose escape from a violent cult masquerading as a Black power commune sparks a series of enormous changes both personal and institutional. We uncover the mystery of Cainland's past at the same time Vern does; her emergence from the woods where the first part of the book takes place reflects her growing awareness of fundamental changes to her body and her consciousness set in motion by her time on the commune.

Vern's wisdom lies in her ability to recognize danger when she sees it and to confront that danger squarely and immediately. I didn't realize what a rare quality that was until I found my assumptions continually undermined by her clarity: at moments where I expected deference, diplomacy, and forbearance, Vern confronted. She fought. At one point, she notes that she never understood what keeps people static in painful situations—never understood the concept of choosing your battles. Why not fight? It's a question I want to ask myself more.

The moments where Sorrowland lingers over relationships were my favorite; the novel has a frankness about bodies and a softness about love that I adore. At times, though, the pacing felt a little strange. The slow build of the beginning of this book transitions into a rapid unveiling of secrets that lost me a little at the end. Nonetheless, this is one that will haunt me for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC!

VERY EMOTIONAL!! 15, forced into a marriage, cults, Vern is dealing with some VERY intense topics. She's so complex, and the story was just super fantastic. It took a while for me to finish since it was a really heavy read (emotionally), but I am so glad I did finish it. WELL DONE!

(CW: body horror, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, blood, death, child torture)

Sorrowland left me feeling numb and bittersweet. It's a book of horrors of all kind -- from the stereotypical seeing dead people to body horror. To the horrors of domestic abuse, sexual abuse. And even the horrors of what the USA has done experimenting on the Black population. And so much more. Sorrowland is an apt title.

This is not a comforting book. It doesn't hold your hand because it doesn't have time for niceties. This book rips you from where you are and screams in your face for you to stop and listen. It yells out in pain that it knows you can't do anything about. The pain of the people in Cainland, which might be a cult but who knows for sure? The pain of Vern as she struggles with all she's become: mother, demigod, lover? This book is angry, is hurt. And it wants you to listen.

There's a large cast of characters, but only a few that are major key players. Vern considers herself somewhere between a woman and a man. She begins the novel almost doing things by rote, out of necessity to just survive in the woods. But over the course of the book, she develops as a person and becomes more sure of herself. More sure of what she wants and who she wants. She is a fierce mother, but will protect her children Howling and Feral with intense force. Gogo is a winkte (Lakota term sometimes referred to as "two-spirit person"), and she does her best to help Vern in all her needs -- even both their needs for love with each other. And then there's Cainland. While not literally a character, the compound feels like a living presence in its own right.

We're given glimpses of Blessed Acres (Cainland) through various flashbacks. It was almost like the book was reminding the reader that suffering happens wherever you are. But good memories can also happen wherever you are. The flashbacks are countered with a few regular small time skips that help keep the novel moving forward.

This book is intense and raw. But in the end it was beautiful in a bittersweet way. It's not for the faint of heart or those looking for comfort or happiness. In the end, though, this book should be read. It was truly spectacular.

trigger warning
<spoiler> child abuse, domestic abuse, gaslighting, being drugged, being experimented upon, homophobia, misogyny, mention of suicide, child murder, kidnapping, torture, racism, self harm </spoiler>

A woman gives birth to twins in the wood, hunted down by an unnown fiend, and has to rely on her wit and her courage to keep them safe.

This is more about the characters than about the plot, but if you read on, you'll see there is one, and it's not to be underestimated.

Sorrowland is the first book by this author I've read, but certainly not the last.
I had some trouble getting into it, but that was more about things being depressing on top of me being depressed than any fault of the book. This book is about racism, about not fitting in into a group of misfits despite being one of them. Having to fight for survival again and again and again.

Regarding the tags: Vern calls themselves a lesbian but also says there's more than the gender binary has to offer on, so I chose both lesbian and non binary. In this discussion, there also is another person, a Lakota person, saying they're not exactly in the man-woman boxes.

The horror in this book is more about things humans do to each other than monster, despite having people who look like monsters. This is the horror that gets under my skin, and I dare not think too closely about that.

I liked how the characters felt real, and that so many issues are mentioned, because again, it feels real. It's not like oh you have to wrestle with misogyny, so every other issue knows to steer clear because you're already having troubles. It feels more like problems are pack animals, and once one arrived, the others are not too far away.

Especially I liked that we have flawed characters that make mistake that are not excused. Because that's how people work - you might be nice and kind and constructive most of the times, but then one day you can't control yourself or burst out from pent-up pressure. That doesn't make you a bad person, it just makes you human.

Now that I think about it, this is the first time in a few weeks that it doesn't startle me when characters go outside, go to a store, are amongst people, because I am so in lockdown every group stands out like a sore thumb, because after they come from the woods, where they lived not exactly homeless but roofless, they're confused by the lights, the sounds, the smells.

Everything fits. This was not an easy read, and it will take some time till I'll look up further works by this author, but I am sure I'll feel like I needed that after reading them, just like I do now after this one.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

What a strange and fantastic book. This story was thought provoking, dark, disturbing and gorgeous. The story of a mother, woman, lover, victim and fighter who is completely different than anyone I have ever read about. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Farrar, Strauss & Giroux for providing me with an advanced reading copy via NetGalley.

We’re just a mere 19 days into this 2021 malarkey but I may already have found one of my best reads of the year. Rivers Solomon: take a bow. Thank you to Net Galley for letting me get out here ahead of the pack and say: pre-order this stunner now!

Having read and savoured both of Solomon’s previous speculative genre pieces- the exquisitely named and front-covered ‘An Unkindness of Ghosts’ and ‘The Deep’, an afrofuturist tale of merpeople, adapted from an experimental rap song, I was ALL IN for whatever literary genius they wrote next. What I wasn’t necessarily expecting was to see just how much their craft has grown in ‘Sorrowland’: this is masterful storytelling of the absolute highest order.

Imagine if Toni Morrison wrote a woke, Afrofuturist version of “The Handmaid’s Tale”, spliced with “Mexican Gothic” and you’d be....somewhere nearby, but not altogether in the same ballpark occupied by River Solomon’s wholly original masterpiece. Divided into three genre-shifting sections that- as will become appropriate- shift and metamorphose into something incredibly bold and powerful, Solomon’s story is the gift that keeps on giving. What seems like a (relatively!) simple tale of a Black albino girl escaping from her sermonising husband and the sinister cult he leads, running into the woods to birth her twins and lead a feral life of survival, warps into a profoundly thrilling and thrillingly profound journey of: self-discovery; of queer love and desire; of wildness; of filial duty; of co-opted rebellion; of fighting back against the forces that continue to bruise, maim and destroy the black body with their barbarism.

America’s dark legacy of racialised violence is laid bare in brutal, fierce ways here, as Vern, our protagonist, is quite literally haunted by her nation’s brutality. Embracing her own metamorphosis into queer womanhood, into motherhood, into something terrifying and unfathomably powerful, Vern must confront generations of suffering in order to transform into the mother/lover/citizen/person she deserves to be.

The novel’s range is phenomenal: it is fantastical, soaked in the language of the woodlands and the supernatural, but it is also achingly familiar and pertinent in its social commentary, so utterly vibrant in its representation of queer love and gender, offering up scenes of the most frightening, most visceral Gothic horror I’ve read in ever, whilst also being tender, heartbreaking, funny and exciting: it is a shimmering, pulsating beast of contradictions. It is vita, it is fresh, it is brilliant.

‘Sorrowland’ is a wildly imaginative, dazzlingly executed work of fiction that will be amongst the best books of 2021.

After hearing so much praise for Solomon's The Deep, I was very excited to get my eyes on their newest novel. The ideas that underpin this story are compelling, and thoughtful, and visceral, and heart-breaking. Unfortunately, this story just didn't have the staying power that I came to expect.

The first act of this novel is a model of good story-telling. Solomon perfectly brings the reader into Vern's reality as the character seeks to find identity in the wilderness outside the gates of her former whole world. Unfortunately, it was somewhere in the second act where the themes started to dominate the writing. Suddenly, the strong prose gave way to a think piece. Are these thoughts important? Of course. But do these thoughts make a compelling story? Not so much.

This issue culminated with an event in the third act that only through hindsight was I able to identify as the climax of this novel. The following denouement was expected in every way and provided little of the genius exposed at the beginning of this book.

I will certainly read Solomon again. And for those that enjoyed their previous works, I have no doubt that this will be an enjoyable experience. However, for me, this novel ultimately represents an amazing idea that never came to a satisfying ending. Three stars.

Sorrowland is a glittering yet haunting tale of a woman’s fight for survival as she faces the demons of her past and the monsters lurking in her future. From the very first page, I was enthralled by the lush writing style of this novel. Even when I was not sure where Solomon was going to take the book next, I was pulled into this story and did not want to leave it. In fact, I finished it in two sittings, not wanting to put it down. The three-part sections of this novel were very compelling as they became a reflection of Vern and her metamorphosis. And with every new development and plot twist, I was tugged deeper into the world Solomon created. The relationships portrayed were raw and evocative, and I adored the found family trope. I was touched by every bit of care; and wounded by every heartache. I have nothing but praise for Sorrowland and the wondrous creature it is.

5 stars

What a wild ride!

When I see that a book is on all of the "to-read" lists, I'm naturally optimistic but always cautiously so. No need for caution here.

_Sorrowland_ is a dash of _Mexican Gothic_, another dash of _The Twelve_, and then just a whole bunch of madness that comes together in a really fascinating and remarkably readable way. I didn't want it to stop. I mean, for the CHARACTERS, I wanted it to stop, but wow. Truly, I couldn't get enough.

Vern, the m.c., is very much why this novel worked so well for me. She is a riveting inclusion not only to this piece but to literature in general. Like most of the characters here, she is intersectionally impacted by her extremely diverse identities, and it is fascinating to see her triumph over what seem like barriers only to transform them into incredible strengths...sometimes. Her children - are these the best named children in all of literature? - enhance her dual nature as a soft and effective mother and a powerful force of strength. Gogo is an absolute highlight, and her inclusion here - especially considering the various identities she possesses - also enhances Vern's story, but gives her a respectful place of her own. And then there are the characters who are and are not there: next level.

Along with the riveting characters, the sense of place, the treatment of institutional racism, the exploration of identities, the portrayals of sex/gender expression/sexuality, and the general flow of the plot all absolutely worked for me. I also love the genre mashup. It never felt gimmicky to me, and there was a strong potential for that to be the case. HIGHLY recommended.

This book starts with a young woman, heavy with pregnancy, and running for her life, to escape from the compound of the cult where she was raised. But nothing is as it seems and with each new discovery Vern will learn more about her past, the secrets of the compound where she was raised, and about the strange future that is unfolding before her.

It's almost impossible to describe more about this story without giving away spoilers. It defies conventional genres, mixing fantasy, sci-fi, magical realism, and horror. It reveals the truth of the destructive racism and colonization of the United States through magical realism and actual historical events. I have no doubt this book is going to be the talk of the summer, maybe the year.

If you read Mexican Gothic and thought to yourself "I need more modern gothic books featuring fungi and social commentary" this is the book for you.

Where to begin? I truly don't think I'm nearly smart enough to be in a position to review this book, but I'll try my best. It probably won't be fully coherent but if you take one thing away, let it be this: Sorrowland was brilliant.

The story follows a young woman named Vern who, at the beginning of the book, has just run away from the compound she grew up on, known as Cainland, and given birth to twins. The first chunk of the book takes place in the woods as she raises her children while being plagued by "hauntings" of people in her past. After an encounter with a "fiend" that threatens her safety, she ventures into the outside world to find a childhood friend and uncover the truth behind Cainland. The book immediately drew me in, both with its fascinating setup and Solomon's beautiful and atmospheric writing. Vern was such an interesting character to read from and I adored her children, Howling and Feral. I was deeply invested in Vern's journey and was so curious all throughout the book about how things would play out.

Ultimately, Sorrowland offers a representation of the way Black people have been treated in the US throughout history (something that I, unfortunately, am not very educated about), with Cainland having parallels to various historical events. I know that I did not pick up on all the messages and symbolism Solomon included in this book, however, I appreciate what this book did nonetheless.

The only shortcoming of this book for me was just that I felt like the ending was a bit underwhelming. It had a brilliant build-up with a brief climax and suddenly it was over. The book was divided into 3 parts and I personally feel that the final part would have benefited from being a little bit longer.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it is a story I won't forget about anytime soon. As with faer previous works, Sorrowland manages to combine rich social commentary with innovative speculative elements to create a beautiful and memorable story. If you enjoyed any of Solomon's previous works, or are just interested in picking up a wonderfully weird and atmospheric book, I would highly suggest reading Sorrowland.

If someone went perusing the library of my mind palace, they’d surely notice some recurring themes, things of special interest, irresistible attractors including but not limited to cults, governmental psych experiments, superpowers, survival under extreme conditions, conspiracy theories, etc. This book checked all those boxes and then some. Get out of my mind, author. Or don’t, just visit at your leisure and then spin me magnificent tales about all the things I love in fiction.
Which is to say, F yeah, I loved this book. Took me a moment to get into, the first chapter, a brutally visceral birth in a wild of twins by an inexperienced unassisted mother was…well, brutally visceral. But then once the story got going, it was difficult to impossible to put down. It just continued shifting gears and climbing to new levels of awesome the entire time. Just when you think you know what’s going on, there’s a new revelation.
Just when you think, oh, ok, this is a story of a cult survivor, a 15 year old black albino girl, who flees the only place she’s ever known to give birth and raise her twins in the woods nearby, (which by itself would have been interesting enough), she goes and integrates into the real world outside (which would have also been interesting enough), but then she begins to change into something new and difficult to fathom and develops powers that might be considered super, enters a tentative lesbian romance (because this book is just a gift that goes on giving), a romance featuring the most insistently consensual sex I’ve ever read in fiction (the author proudly showing off her woke cred) and then she and her ladylove uncover a killer government conspiracy and take the powers that be on in an epic showdown. I mean, yes, yes, most emphatic yes on all accounts. What an awesome, awesome book this turned out to be. Drama, suspense, romance, action, great memorable characters with and without superpowers…this book did it all and did it all so well, too.
I wasn’t sure about it, having never read the author. I’ve just began getting into Afrocentric speculative fiction last year thanks to its increasing proliferation and out library’s newfound commitment to digital expansion and diversity. I found some books and authors I’ve really enjoyed, P. Djeli Clark for one, but this one just blows all the rest away, setting new impossibly high standards. It was so well written, so original and inventive, so exciting, so seemingly tailored made for me and my interests. It even does the racial themes and social commentary correctly and that’s a hugely difficult task. You can’t improve upon this as an introduction to the author and I can’t wait to check out more of Solomon’s work. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Sorrowland is a most original and captivating work. At first glance this is the tale of a young woman escaping from a cult; however, as the blurb promises, the genre soon bends until it morphs into a fantasy/gothic horror story. I don't want to elaborate too much on the plot and risk spoilers, but I can say it is a book that explores many interesting themes through diverse characters, in a piece that builds slowly at first but then quickly picks up the pace for an action-packed ending. The only slight niggle I had was the fact that the children's speech at times felt a bit advanced for their age, but that's a very minor gripe and may well have been intentional and a result of their background/genetic makeup. In all other respects, this was a thrilling tale and I recommend it to fans of both LGBT fantasy and Gothic fiction who are looking for something out of the ordinary. It gets 4.5 stars from me.

Thanks to the publisher for giving me a free e-galley of this novel in exchange for feedback.

I usually write about books that are comforting and escapist. Well, this book is definitely not comforting, but it DID take me to some of the strangest places I've been in fiction for the long time. Within the first few pages, the main characters is fleeing through the woods from a cult, chased by a strange and terrifying pursuer and a monstrous wolf. She pauses - twice - to give birth and keeps running, and I was breathless with how fast the plot was moving. The book just gets weirder from here, a richly layered story that had me thinking about power and love and family even as I compulsively turned pages to get to the next horrifying and bizarre revelation. I think it's going to be a book that rewards multiple readings. Gentle reader warnings: there's a lot. Body horror, religious trauma, character deaths, animal deaths, bad sex, child abuse.... just open the book cautiously and assume something awful is going to happen in every chapter, and you'll be fine, because for a book with this many horrors in it, it is strangely and beautifully uplifting.

"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."

In this haunting tale of survival, Vern undertakes a journey first to escape her past, and then to understand what it has made her. As she unravels the trauma she has experienced, she creates timeless bonds with those around her.

This book is truly a work of genius. Solomon expertly weaves memory into the plot, so every page brings new discoveries. I couldn't put it down. The characters are relatable, the setting is vivid, and there is so much weight and poignancy to this story.

For fans of Octavia Butler, Ursula LeGuin and Jeff VanderMeer. Content warnings for domestic violence, religious extremism, racism, homophobia, genocide, animal death.

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved An Unkindness of Ghosts so I was absolutely thrilled to be able to read Rivers Solomon's new novel early. I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up, and was immediately sucked in to the weirdness of the world that Vern finds herself thrown into after (we later learn) escaping from Cainland. This is such a rich story, from Vern's relationship with her children to her recollection of her life at Cainland to the discovery of what has been happening to her since the moment she found herself strong enough to run away. There's a revelation midway through that is deliciously strange. The themes of family and motherhood, sexuality, and connectedness weave throughout, and the shadow of violent domination (by powerful figureheads, by fiends in the forest, by the state) looms. I loved it!

After reading An Unkindness of Ghosts I knew I wanted to read everything Rivers Solomon ever wrote. I was not disappointed. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book, it was a privilege to read it.
Sorrowland is a challenging and dark story that follows Vern and her life since she ran away from a place that was meant to be her home. It's a truly wonderful read, with many points along the way where you just have to take a few moments to breathe and gather yourself. It's one of those books that are hard to describe without spoiling anything, but it's a book with very diverse characters and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern gothic horror.

Looking forward to the release of this book and more people reading it, and I'm left even more excited to see any future works from this author.

Now I need to go hug my cat real tight, because Sorrowland kept making me want to mother something or someone.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this novel via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I will be shocked if this isn't one of the most popular novels in spring/summer 2021, at least within the sci-fi and LGBT lit circles. Sorrowland is at the same time poignant and hopeful, haunting and soothing, submersing the reading into a gothic America scarred by the very real history of our country.

There isn't much I can say plot-wise without spoiling this novel. It is best experienced, rather than summarized by a reviewer. The pacing is excellent, allowing the reader to experience Vern's inner (and outer) turmoil without dragging. Characters are both likable and believable. The plot fills itself with twists and turns that are foreshadowed in a subtle manner that doesn't insult the intelligence of the reader.

I recommend Sorrowland for any fan of near-future science fiction, modern horror, or wishes to read more novels by Black female authors.