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.

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.