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This is such a hard pass. There was so much going on in this book that made absolutely no sense. <Sorrowland> comments on race, faith and sexuality, but wraps this into a story about a religious cult, with conspiracies and medical testing, an evil non-aging government agent, and a fungi which infects certain genetic carriers (nothing about this is fleshed out or explained technically), giving the host superhero strength/healing, the ability to see and communicate with the dead, mind control, and the ability to bring people back from the death. Nothing is explained, nothing made sense, and I'm amazed this has the reviews it does.

I very regretfully voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and FSG in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Strange, captivating. Guaranteed to get your attention. Interesting plot and characters.

Sorrowland // by Rivers Solomon

I'll be honest and admit that I'm not 100% sure how to review this. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes certain things are over my head and I will not understand everything exactly as the author means it to be understood. Despite that though, it is clear that this is a story of survival, oppression, blood and found family, and more. It can be difficult to see where the story is going at first. It felt very character focused in the beginning but later, in the last third, had a whole lot more action happening. In that same vein, the messages felt very subtle at the start but later were anything but. While I do generally enjoy character focused books, I found myself questioning the point of this one multiple times along the way, making myself re-evaluate whether I should continue on with it or not. However you take this story though, one thing is clear: the author has a very unique and distinct voice and I still will be picking up more titles by them. The Deep, another of their titles, is a book I very much enjoyed and I am still curious to see what else will be forthcoming by Solomon.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved this book, there were times it dragged but the concept and characters made it worth sticking with!

Interesting reading, loved how the author brought you into the story and takes you along. Not what I was expecting but a great read.

I got an e-arc of this through Netgalley and then proceeded to not read it. Then I got the audiobook and that was a great way to consume this story.

This is the story of Vern. We first meet them (I say them because there is a lot of gender commentary in this book and at the moment, I can't remember what pronouns Solomon uses for Vern.) in the woods. They have run away from Cainland, a cultlike compound. They give birth to twins, Howling and Feral.

It follows these three over the span of 4 years and their world expands so much and you meet many new characters and hauntings and is it horror? Is it sci-fi?

I'm being quite vague because I went into it knowing NOTHING and I think that's the way to do it.

This book was WAY smarter than me and I was along for the ride.

I ended up DNFing this book. The writing and story would have probably ended up as a 3 stars for me, but I really was not enjoying this book enough to continue. The narrative was also a bit confusing to keep up with.

Loved this book. It had a slower start for me but once I got into it I devoured it. I really enjoyed the representation in the novel as well as the twist on a cult.

Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction mixed with fantasy and sci-fi. Monsters exist and are more than you think they are, more than we could admit they were. This is a story that pulls you and makes you listen, makes you watch even when you want to turn away...especially when you want to turn away.
The protagonist Vern is totally unforgettable. Nothing will make her stop doing whatever she must to defend and protect her family. One of those rare gems; a character that is not easy to forget long after you have closed the book.
Thanks to @Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD, and Rivers Solomon for this free arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

One of the most unique and interesting books I've read in a long time. A strange yet appealing mix of science fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction, and cultural commentary, Vern is a compelling and fascinating character whose journey will thrill you.

This is a really fascinating and beautifully written novel. It took me a while to fully immerse myself in the world and in the writing style, but once I did, it was easy to blow through the rest of the book. Even with how quickly I ended up reading most of it, it's a novel I enjoy more having read it and thinking about it in retrospect than I enjoyed while reading. I was intrigued more than fully in love, but the themes that this novel explores are fascinating. It speaks about the U.S.' history with experimenting on Black bodies, and I also love the discussions of gender identity and sexuality. The sci-fi element is a wonderful slow burn, and it was when that part of the plot really got going that I became more engrossed.

I never enjoy writing a review for a book that I did not enjoy. I also do not enjoy writing a review for a book that I could not wait to finish so I could say I was done with it. While reading this book, I would fill my favorite co-worker in on what I read the previous session. Even she was confused at times when I tried describing what I read. The writing was choppy and a bit all over the place. I often closed the book and really had to spend time to process what I just read and try to figure out where this book was actually going. I could not form a bond with Vern as I read, and the children were not believable. I have four nephews, one of which is the same age as the twins in this story, along with cousins who have children the same age. The twins in this story must have some mystical powers from their mother or something, because I have yet to meet children so young who are able to have such complex thoughts (for that age range) and abilities. The whole book was too far fetched for me. I was excited when I was first approved. I LOVE reading books by new-to-me authors, especially when the book itself is promised to be something different.
Here is what worked for me:
I loved the parts of the story where Vern was in any kind of wooded place. I love the woods and hope to live surrounded by trees some day. I liked how the forest parts of this book were described. I basically love nature. Unfortunately, nothing else worked for my style of reading enjoyment.

I truly appreciate the opportunity this publisher gave me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own, and I always advise someone to try a book rather than simply taking one person's opinion of it.

Rivers Solomon has a gift. She can immerse you in any story she tells as if she’s binding you with a spell. I liked the Deep. I loved Unkindness of Ghosts. But Sorrowland is transformative. Everyone should read this!

Rivers Solomon has a way of portraying harsh life. As in the Deep, they put their main character, Vern, through unthinkable survival mode where she has to protect herself and her two children. When encountering anyone, she must decide who to trust and who to avoid. Escaping the compound was the easy part. Staying away is the battle.

What an interesting book, truly unlike anything ive ever read! A very bizarre, horrific novel that is intertwined with social commentary. The sci-fi, or magical realism - what have you - is really unique. I don't want to get too deep into this because it's a story that should be experienced first-hand!

(Disclaimer: this is not an own voices review, please do read some of those as well!)

It took me a while to read Sorrowland, but that has nothing to do with the book itself. This story follows Vern as she’s 15 year old and pregnant, feeling from a cult and the cult leader Sherman that she’s married to.
With the beautiful writing and thrilling story it is the kind of book you can just fly through. It is partly horror, fantasy, science fiction and political.

This story touches on black slavery, anti-US establishments, sexism, homophobia, gender, sexuality, nature, parenthood, rebellion and how horrible people can get away with many things.
I especially liked the first half of this book. I thought Feral and Howling were especially written super realistically and it was endearing to read about their love of nature.

Vern as a main character is not super likeable but she is very interesting. She doesn’t trust people, she often gets very angry and even aggressive. But realising how young she is and all the things she’s going through that’s completely realistic. And as she is fighting for the people she loves, it’s nice to see her explanation of it.
The other characters were in different ways flawed and complex.

There’s also some strange and super natural elements to this story that I really liked. It was creepy, but also mysterious and made me want to keep reading. The darker parts are connected to partly realistic events. Cainland is a horrible place where Vern was tied to her bed and fed drugs each night. Where she was married off as a child. But a big theme in the book is how things outside Cainland aren’t always better. A lot of times this book is very dark and brutal. (Which is actually why it took me a longer time to read.) The magical elements in this book were extremely original and surreal. I think the weirdness of it all was unnerving even in the moments where it wasn’t directly threatening scary.

I loved the writing in this book. It has a lot of beautiful lines. I also liked how this book discussed reading and books and literacy.

I did think the second half and especially the ending of this book weren’t as good as the beginning. Especially when there was an odd flashback that I didn’t understand the reason for. It felt like the pacing of the book slowed down a lot.

But this book is still really really good. It is one of those I will probably be thinking about for a long time, even after having read it.

This is the very sad and tragic story of a 15-year-old albino black girl, who happens to be pregnant. She decides to run away from the cult she is stuck in, and the story goes from there. As the title itself states, it's very sorrowful. This book has a lot to unpack: police brutality, being blak, being queer, cults, religion, gender identity, motherhood, and so on. It's not my place to discuss any of those matters, but I believe Rivers Solomon treated them respectfully. It was not an easy read, and I didn't love it, but I'm glad I did it anyways.

A book that pushes boundaries I never even thought of. It's a utopian/dystopian story that is at once fierce and yet emotional. The characters are superb. The plot enticing. The story's soul stayed with me even after the pages ended

SORROWLAND is a beautifully written Gothic Sci-Fi Horror story of Vern--a 15-year-old, pregnant, and on the run.

SO FREAKING GOOD.
This is the story of a black child, Vern, who escapes in the middle of the night... however, this escape does not allow her to be free. She gives birth to her babies in the woods,... while the claws of a cult are still there trying to dig their way back in. This story is action packed, fierce, and purposeful.

An engrossing and highly addictive read, this author is a must-read.

I was in the mood for a dark and heavy atmospheric read and boy did this deliver! This is my 3rd book by Solomon and one thing that I have found consistent throughout each read is how thought provoking and poignant each story is. I appreciate each and every theme that was present in this novel, but at times I felt that some themes were not given enough time and reflection. Personally, I thought the first 2/3 of the novel were the strongest and most compelling. The post apocalyptic-esque survival and horror elements wrapped in black and queer themes were spectacular. However, the last 1/3, although compelling, felt a bit rushed and disconnected from the rest of the novel. I feel that I may have not fully understand what was happening and the meaning behind it, but that is okay because I know that this book wasn't necessarily written for me. This definitely has things that worked really well for me and other aspects that didn't, but overall I enjoyed my time with this novel and patiently await what Solomon will write next.