I found the last portion of the book a little muddied, and the ending took a different turn than I was expecting. I really liked Solomon’s writing and I particularly enjoyed the first half of the book. Sorrowland is completely unlike anything I’ve read before – if you’re looking for a unique and compelling read this is definitely one to pick up. It’s such a unique read, blending Gothic horror with science fiction and fantasy. Vern’s story is a haunting one, that very much shines a light on the history of racism in America. Sorrowland is a dark and moving tale, one that definitely sticks with you long after you’ve finished reading. But the group she fled from will not let her go easily and for Vern to survive she must become more than she ever imagined. Not only is she experiencing hauntings, but her body is changing, making her more powerful than she ever thought possible. As Vern and her babies fight for survival she soon learns something is wrong with her body. She gives birth to two babies and tries to raise them without the influence of the compound or the outside world. The story follows Vern, a young woman fleeing the remote religious compound she has lived in all her life. I read The Deep by Rivers Solomon last year and it was such a beautiful and haunting read that I was excited to try more from this author.
It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction. Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a memorable work of Gothic fiction that wrestles with the tangled history of racism in America and the marginalisation of society’s undesirables. In the course of reclaiming her own darkness, Vern learns that monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire histories, systems and nations. To understand her body’s metamorphosis, Vern must investigate the secluded religious compound from which she fled and the violent history of dehumanisation, medical experimentation and genocide that produced it. It’s changing, it’s stronger, it’s not normal.
But something is wrong – not with them, but with her own body. Vern, a hunted woman alone in the woods, gives birth to twins and raises them away from the influence of the outside world.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
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