Review: 'Sorrowland' by Rivers Solomon

Sorrowland was a book that kept coming to my attention last year, consistently featured on lists by people whose taste I trust, always praised. With all that attention I shied away from it slightly, wanting to read it but needing the space to form my own opinion. Now that the time have come I can wholeheartedly join the chorus of people who adore Solomon's novel. Thanks to Farrar, Straux & Giroux; Random House; and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: 5/4/2021; 5/6/2021
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux; Random House UK, Cornerstone

A triumphant, genre-bending breakout novel from one of the boldest new voices in contemporary fiction.

Vern—seven months pregnant and desperate to escape the strict religious compound where she was raised—flees for the shelter of the woods. There, she gives birth to twins, and plans to raise them far from the influence of the outside world.

But even in the forest, Vern is a hunted woman. Forced to fight back against the community that refuses to let her go, she unleashes incredible brutality far beyond what a person should be capable of, her body wracked by inexplicable and uncanny changes.

To understand her metamorphosis and to protect her small family, Vern has to face the past, and more troublingly, the future—outside the woods. Finding the truth will mean uncovering the secrets of the compound she fled but also the violent history in America that produced it.

Rivers Solomon’s Sorrowland is a genre-bending work of Gothic fiction. Here, monsters aren’t just individuals, but entire nations. It is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction.

What are monsters? The word 'monster' comes from the Latin monstrum, which means 'portent, omen, sign'. (Think demonstrate.) A monster, then, is a message or a person that holds information, that reveals, that holds up a mirror and forces us the acknowledge something. Angels are monsters, in that sense, and so is the protagonist in Rivers Solomon's novel. Vern is, perhaps, not entirely human. Or maybe she is, but the world around her is no longer entirely human. In her struggle to find out what is happening to her, she has to face a world in which many things aren't as they should be. Sorrowland is deeply Gothic, yet also has a sense of the mythic and the epic in how Vern approaches life. While she has plenty going against her, from her albinism to her changing body, she is constantly in awe of the vastness of life, of the vastness of nature, and the reader can't help but join her on her journey with the same sense of awe.

Vern is on the run and about to give birth. Sorrowland starts with the birth of her children and only grows in intensity from there. Haunted by her imagination and her history, Vern is changing in a way she doesn't understand. Raised on a cult-like compound, the world is full of mysteries for her, but of one thing she is sure: she is strong, perhaps stronger than she should be. With her children, she begins a journey towards truth and understanding, hoping to find a place where she can just be the way she is. Sorrowland is full of Gothic tension, moments of body horror, and scenes of utter tenderness and passion. It is hard to truly summarise this novel, mainly because going into it blind truly does make for the best experience. Each step of the journey is a revelation. Vern is supported by a cast of fascinating characters, some of who join her on her journey, others who we only see for a brief moment. You will adore her children, in their wildness, you will share Vern's mistrust and fall in love alongside her. Vern is a very young character, hardly an adult at the end of the novel, but there is a sagacity to her that, due to her experiences, doesn't feel misplaced. She is full of life, brash, occasionally mean, often desperate, but as her body changes, she only becomes more human.

The writing of Sorrowland is stunning. Vern's speech feels both archaic and blunt, always direct yet for of mystery. Similarly, Solomon has a real knack for describing nature and dissecting human behaviour. At the heart of Sorrowland is a desire to remember, to not forget the sufferings and crimes of the past. To confront human behaviour, at its best and worst, straight on and, at the very least, acknowledge it.  Solomon tries to do a lot in Sorrowland. There are references to Giovanni's Room, strong themes of Afrofuturism, Gothic chases through the woods, and strong political commentary throughout. What weaves it together and makes it all fit is Solomon's characters. While not everything about Sorrowland is streamlined, every moment adds a layer of understanding, of acceptance, of knowledge. Gender and sexuality also appear throughout Sorrowland, without every being a capital-T theme, if that makes sense. People love who they love, they are what they are, and that is how it should be. The ease with which this happens was beautifully done and also shows that protest and activism happens on every level. I can't wait to read more by Solomon!

I give this book...

5 Universes!

Sorrowland is a monster of a book, full of revelation, fear, and awe. While not the easiest of reads, it is a novel I would highly recommend. Let it sweep you away!