The first quarter or so of “Sorrowland” intrigued me. Here was a young mother—barely past childhood herself—giving birth alone in the woods and then keeping herself and her children (twins!) alive while fending off a mysterious and sinister being she refers to as “the fiend.” My reader antennae were up in a good way. Who was she? Where had she come from? Why was she here? What was she running from? Who had she left behind? Vern seemed a totally unique and fascinating character.

As the book went on, the tightness of the writing loosened. Once I discovered where Vern had run from and why, the narrative no longer held my attention in the same way. I was fascinated by the ideas in the book, which is a mash-up of fantasy, social/religious commentary, and government conspiracy. But by the final third, I felt that too much was being explained. Many scenes would have benefited from cutting down and sharpening their focus. There were a couple of sex scenes that felt a bit gratuitous—not that I have anything against sex scenes; I just didn’t understand their relevance to the plot.

Rivers Solomon has great imaginative flair and a gift for unusual characters and interesting situations. The fantasy elements were well developed and I understood the premise of how the fantasy world operated. But ultimately the book’s pacing and lack of polish toward the end prevented me from being as fully immersed in it as I wanted to be.

Wow. Such a brilliant story. I absolutely loved it and cannot believe I have never read this author before. Well, that is definitely changed now. I loved this lovely story.

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started reading this book. Where I landed was in a sad, dark world with Vern. Vern has escaped a cult when 7 months pregnant. She raises her children in the woods while changes are happening to her. This book is more of a fantasy than horror but it's a wonderful, at times, hard to follow story of a girl who makes the changes she needs happen.

This was dark and confusing to read, but that's what makes it so good.

I've been interested in Rivers Solomon's books, but never got around to actually picking one up. Thank you for the E-Galley. I am now a Solomon fan.

If you are looking for an important novel that touches on many dark topics such as womanhood, motherhood, raising children and feminism, this is the book for you.

I have a feeling that this is going to be one of the star books of 2021. The ideas and writing feel unique and raw, while the subject matters are contemporary and relevant. It's a dark book with the ability to draw you in completely.

Vern has grown up in black power utopian cult that lives off the land, only she's starting to see the huge cracks around the edges. When you're a teenage girl with a mind of your own and you find a way to escape into the woods, you do so. Only now, she's given birth to twins in the woods and is being hunted by a sadistic fiend who seems bent on her destruction.

Being an albino and being able to raise toddlers in the forest without modern conveniences are not the only things that are different about Vern. She seems to be experiencing some sort of transformation that she doesn't understand. She sees people who aren't really there, she is getting stronger, and she is growing some type of polypore on her back. Eventually, she becomes so sick that she has to seek help from civilization.

I can't believe I haven't read anything by Rivers Solomon before. Her identity and the main character's identity as a black lesbian is definitely at the forefront of the book.

The genre of this book runs somewhere between literature, speculative fiction, and horror. As a fungi enthusiast, I really appreciate the mycelial threads that run through the book (pun intended). That concept alone would have been worth the read. I always enjoy when authors speculate about the what-ifs of our world and bring those ideas to life in a big way.

I’m really having a struggle trying to review this book. I’ve read over others reviews but they obviously got much more from the story than I did. I didn’t hate the book but I can’t really say that I liked it either. The main character was not likable at all. The first 2/3 were very slow but the last was entirely too fast. There was so much going on that I found it difficult to keep up. The ending just sucked. Maybe just not my kind of book.

A dark fantasy, filled with passion, richly written and deeply challenging. In some respects, a hard book to read but very entertaining.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think Solomon is a terrific writer, but this book just didn't click with me. Failure of reader and moment, not of the book or the author. I think I might come back to this someday, but it was too dense for me to really do anything other than admire from a distance this time around.

A deep complex story of an albino black girl in a weird and violent world, with touches of science fiction, horror, social commentary, and good discussion on matters of gender and identity. Sorrowland is one of those good and weird books that stick with you and makes you wonder.

There we follow Vern, a pregnant teenage girl, as she scapes the cult in which she was raised. Living in the woods with her children, finding strength in Nature while trying to escape those who are hunting her.
As she realizes her body is changing in ways not possible, and fearing for the children, Vern will have to face her past and all that led to her escape, finding the truths behind the compound where she was raised.

I really liked the book, and have to point it out, as another reviewer said, the lack of "male gazing" was refreshing from the start. It felt good to read this book. The main theme was well developed and the twists and turns of the book very good until the last third which I found not as good as the rest.

Other than the end, the only issue I had with it was that I found it somewhat ambitious, and, at times, I felt overwhelmed with the number of topics discussed.

This book is…astonishing.

It’s impossible to classify. It’s a cult novel and a dark fable and an adventure and paranormal and sf and…everything. It’s diverse in terms of race and sexuality and gender. And if it sounds like I’m saying the author threw in everything but the kitchen sink, I’m not.

Instead, the author manages to weave together everything I mentioned and create something new and exciting and utterly unique.

It’s just…Sorrowland.

I loved this. I loved our characters, adored the writing style, and found myself complete immersed in a world that managed to be new on its surface, but which spoke to familiar truths at its heart.

Five stars.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Firstly, a million thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sorrowland kicks off with Vern, a terrified 15 year old running from the only home she's ever known, giving birth to twins alone in the woods. The writing was immediately stunning, captivating and vivid enough to have me hungrily turning the pages, eager to have my questions answered. As it goes on, pieces are told to the audience slowly, gradually painting a picture of Vern's marriage to a much older, dangerous and abusive man in the heart of a compound that Vern once considered home but learned to hate. As she runs from the cult, she is continuously and ruthlessly hunted by the people who work for them, no matter how long she manages to settle down in one spot with her children. Vern not only has these hunters to fear, but something impossible that has taken root in her which begins to rapidly grow and change to worry about as well.

To reveal anything else would be a disservice to interested readers, for one of the things I found most fascinating about is that every time I thought I understood where the story was going, it went another direction. You really can't predict anything with this one: it will constantly surprise you. There are many things to love here, though, the beautiful creativity only one of them.

I loved Vern fiercely. She struggles to feel "soft" or loving emotions, certain they don't suit her, so to watch her slowly but surely open her heart up to another person, someone who will love her for who she is and not for the power they can exert over her or for the body they can use, made me feel immensely proud and happy. The pride definitely did not end there; Vern is consistently resilient and strong in situations where weaker-minded people would have crumbled and given up. She accepts the changes her body brings, and learns to live around them and grow despite, or perhaps also in part because of, them.

I found her kids to be incredibly delightful. Their ceaseless, insatiable curiosity, humor, energy, and fun was a welcome break from the very intense and heavy themes this book explores, providing a perfect balance and causing me to feel an unbearable amount of fondness. They were one of my favorite pieces of this amazing novel.

Wonderful as the kids were, though, the brutally honest commentary on racism, the US government, capitalism, misogyny, and abuse was a hundred times more satisfying. I do not have the words to explain how impressive and refreshing it is to see an author so frankly and ferociously challenge and condemn controversial topics such as these. The importance of a book like this cannot be overstated, and I am grateful to have had the lucky opportunity to read it early. I cannot wait to get my hands on it physically, so I can revisit the passages that I found most alluring.

Major TW for many instances of pedophilia, rape, child abuse, emotional abuse, manipulation, brainwashing.

Sorrowland is both an incredibly sad and powerful book about the travesties that have been inflicted upon Black America.

Vern delivers and subsequently raises twin boys in the woods after escaping a cult-like community called Cainland. Cainland’s purpose was to empower and give safety to its black occupants. Upon her harrowing adventures on the run after leaving Cainland, Vern finds she has been much transformed and that Cainland is not all as it seems.

Speculative fiction at its finest, Sorrowland is for any fans of the genre along with those curious about black history in America and the depths some will go to preserve power. Rich with symbolism and full of emotion, Vern is a character that will not soon be forgotten.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free ebook ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book is raw and wild and intense and one helluva story, wrapped up in prose that is beautiful and aching.

Vern, fifteen and pregnant, flees the quasi cult/commune that she was born into - known as Cainland - finding shelter in the woods where she is haunted and hunted as gives birth to her children, Howling and Feral. So begins a fierce tale of reckoning as Vern begins to unfold the true nature of the life that was ordained upon her and the violence that has been part and parcel of that life. Rivers Solomon does not shy away from exploring issues of race, violence, misogyny, sexual identity, and, most importantly, the history of othering and committing violence against black bodies. And, while tackling all of this, they deliver an extraordinarily readable and enjoyable tale.

There were definitely some parts that were difficult and, at times, I felt the pace falter (just a bit) but this was a story unlike any I have read in a long while - its unique, profound, bold, ferocious, beautiful, and with a strong beating heart at its core.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

SORROWLAND by Rivers Solomon

Vern’s mother found her refuge at the Blessed Acres of Cain, a cult formed to protect African American’s from white oppression. She stayed to keep Vern, her daughter, safe and give her a better life than she could have provided elsewhere. However, this story begins with Vern bearing twin boys, Howling and Feral, alone and in the forest after escaping from that sanctuary.

She hunts, defends, protects and sometimes neglects the twin infants. Vern is always running from something. She swings from trees with one child on front and one on back. She teaches them to find food, to make a shelter, to survive.

Vern knew that something sinister was going on in Cainland and she was right. Since they deprived her of any useful education including the ability to read, it was hard for her to look into the things she saw as abuse. As she raises her children, she gets stronger and more fit but the illness that is causing a fungus to encapsulate her spine and taunt her into insanity is insidious and unrelenting, causing vivid and nearly fatal hallucinations that distort Vern’s stability and her grip on reality.

Vern meets people along the way that both support her freedom and pursue her for the purpose of returning her to Cainland. It becomes clear to Vern, over time, that the government is behind the corruption of Cainland and her people were duped by them.

When Vern takes Howling and Feral to the city, they find that the world is bigger than the forest they were raised in. The children are fascinated by city life and the contrast of their glee with Vern’s desperation shows that there is hope for the next generation if they are given half a chance to grow and prosper.

Vern’s sexuality torments her as much as anything else. Caught between her strong, primal libido and her history in a shame culture, she pursues women with a powerful naivety. Her sexuality is raw and course but also beautiful, organic, authentic and real to the core. I applaud the author for her honesty in portraying a sexuality that might offend the sensibilities of some,yet felt so primal yet repressed, joyful and fatal.

One thing that interested me was that Vern’s escape from Cainland seriously resembled many stories about slaves escaping their bondage. The FBI or other government officials opportunistically co-opted Cainland, corrupting it for their own selfish motives. This is timely as it seems that today, any group that begins as a movement for a worthwhile cause is infiltrated by others who turn it into something ugly and tainted. If this novel opens even one person’s eyes to the malevolence of the government, the novel has done its job.

The story moves in fits and starts rather than progressing in a linear style. The backstory about Vern’s mother was placed near the end of the story, which was awkward but effective in raising empathy and compassion for her without completely exonerating her of blame.
The science fiction aspect of this was a fun ride. It was allegorical more than straight narrative speculation. White America has and continues to create monsters with their disregard for the sanctity of human lives.

This is an excellent story. It is timely and relevant but most of all it offers a new and exciting voice in contemporary literature. I recommend it highly, however, there are triggers all through the story, including abuse, rape, murder, suicide, cults, mind control to name a few. I point that out so no one is caught unawares.

I have never read anything like this. It's critical yet lyrical of society and the lack of changes we have done to our life-style. Vern's story is not only an action pact adventure but one of a character that has been wronged by society. Facing sexism, racism, homophobia, and more this protagonist, faced social issues after social issues that society burdened her with (which you will most likely see yourself in). The tone is extremely gothic and gruesome at some parts so the reading experience can be a hard one to digest. I strongly believe that this is a strong contender for my favorite book of 2021. I recommend everyone to give this a shot.

Thank you Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Rivers Solomon for this arc.

Holy cow, this book was wicked good! It totally exceeded my expectations and features all my favorite things: fantastical plot seeped with history, well-developed side characters to fall in love with (wiley babies included), a thriving sense of place, and a fierce protagonist not to be reckoned with. Can't wait to share with everyone I know. Thanks for the ARC!

This was a fantastic book. Dark, vivid, sorrowful, raw. A unique take on gothic horror that explored so many issues and themes with incredible nuance. The characters were visceral and the plot, while slow-moving, was perfectly paced for the author's intent. This book isn't for everyone, but for many I think it could widen teir horizons and expand their perspective.

Vern is a young woman who escapes a mysterious commune, giving birth to her children, and trying to find out the truth of her upbringing as well as her strange physical changes.

This is a really innovative story blending a cult with anti-colonialism and almost supernatural elements. While the concept was very interesting and I appreciated the extremely diverse cast, among them several Native Americans, and albino characters, the graphic violence and sex as well as the distance I felt from most characters made it difficult to truly enjoy this novel. Part of it is certainly due to my own sensibilities, but the lack of emotional insight, the somewhat confusingly described supernatural/superhuman elements, and the slightly unsatisfactory ending expanded beyond that.

Readers should be aware that this book includes explicit sex scenes, violence, and several suicides.

Definitely an experimental and bold work, just not particularly for me.

*4.5 stars*

Content Warnings: self harm, rape, sexual assault of a child, homophobia, pregnancy + birth, death, murder, gore, body horror, mass killing, torture, racism.

I have been sitting here for a long time trying to compile my thoughts to no avail. I just can't seem to find the right words to encompass a story such as this one. Sorrowland will not be for everyone. It defies typical genre conventions with elements of horror, scf-fi, surrealism, and gothic fiction.

The story opens on Vern, a seven month pregnant teen narrowly escaping the confines of a strict religious cult. After birthing her twins, Howling and Feral, Vern is determined to raise them away from society. But Cainlands claws do not want to relinquish her so easily and Vern will have reenter society in the attempts to escape once and for all.

Rivers Soloman is a master at their craft. Vivid description, nuance, unique imagery, dynamic characters, and a fantastically navigated themes. This truly is unlike anything I've ever read before.
It took me a while to grasp what was actually going on, but when I was in I was hooked. I actually think this is a great example of an author keeping their cards close to their chest and not revealing too much too soon.

I do think the pacing was slightly uneven and the ending was slightly rushed. However I wholeheartedly recommend you pick this up if it sounds interesting to you. Sorrowland releases May 4th.

With its challenging plot and diverse characters (lgbtq+ and bipoc) this is not an easy book to just rate and move on. I’ve been thinking about this story since I finished and if I had to use one word to describe Sorrowland it would be ‘overwhelming’.

Solomon blends Gothic horror with SFF to cover slavery, U.S. history, motherhood, generational trauma, identity, gender and transformation. Even with that long of a list I’m sure I’m leaving so much out. I won’t say much about the plot beyond the blurb, but that it’s innovative and devastating with gorgeous prose. We see Vern fend for themselves and their twins, start finding who they are, and quite literally change into something more. I honestly loved all five main characters, but especially Howling and Feral and their interactions with the outside world.

A few things kept me from giving this a higher rating. The pacing was a little off for me, the second part being a bit too slow while the third part sped up so much it started to come off the rails. Because of this the ending felt clunky. Sometimes so much was happening on the page that it was hard to visualize or understand what you were reading. I read an uncorrected proof, so there were a few mistakes that took me out of the story (wrong character names, time inconsistencies, wording). I’ll have to reread this once published and see how those change the story for me. There was a random pov change that happens in the second part of the book and I still don’t know why it happened and why it’s the only one. This may seem petty, but how was Vern knitting wool sweaters in the forest?! Where were they getting yarn and needles from?

I can’t believe this is only Solomon’s third book, I’m already looking forward to reading what they write next.

Thank you FSG and MCD for the ARC.

As a total aside, Solomon fits in so many historical, cultural, and philosophical references within this novel that it’s clear they are extremely well read (Derrida, Marx,and Le Guin amongst many). Makes me wonder if they read about radical mycology and that’s why Vern’s story is connected to fungus and mycelium. Or I’m just crazy.