United States
![Rivers Solomon - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_rivers_solomon.jpg)
Sorrowland
A TIME 100 Must-Read Book of 2021
A New York Times Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2021
The Stonewall Book Award winner of 2022
Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR, The New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly and more!
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 not only the secrets of the compound she fled but also the violent history of 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. This is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction.
A New York Times Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2021
The Stonewall Book Award winner of 2022
Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR, The New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly and more!
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 not only the secrets of the compound she fled but also the violent history of 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. This is a searing, seminal book that marks the arrival of a bold, unignorable voice in American fiction.
Editorial Reviews
"Sorrowland is a tremendous, riveting work, sinking long, deep roots into the nightmare soil of American history in order to grow and feed something new." ―Amal El-Mohtar, The New York Times Book Review
"Sorrowland [is] a gothic techno-thriller in which the trauma of the past is parried with defiance and a thirst for understanding, as embodied by an electrifying young hero." ―Hephzibah Anderson, The Guardian
"Sorrowland is a fully engrossing story that fully embraces its characters and beautifully engages with their lived experiences of gender, queerness, disability, racialization, power and corruption, and relationship with the land." ―Sarah Neilson, Shondaland
"If you've read Rivers Solomon's previous work, you'll be familiar with their fearless explorations of transformation, identity, oppression and power, and Sorrowland continues this investigation with fantastic, terrifying sci-fi brilliance." ―Karla Strand, Ms.
"Sorrowland is a powerful story about motherhood, survival, and the cruel treatment of Black bodies." ―Taiwo Balogun, Marie Claire
"Riveting and harrowing . . . This novel vividly portrays how Black bodies have been used for unethical experiments while it also celebrates queer love, motherhood, and vengeance. It's gorgeously written and sure to be one of my favorite books of the year." ―Margaret Kingsbury, Buzzfeed
"A story you simply won't see coming. You might think you've figured out the pillars of its structure after a few chapters, or come to truly understand its protagonist after walking a few dozen pages with her, but to read this powerful, moving and terrifying novel is to enter into a constant state of change. The story envelops you slowly, like a cocoon, wrapping you in its ever-increasing depth and heart until you emerge, at the end, transformed." ―Matthew Jackson, BookPage
"Science fiction and Gothic horror collide in Solomon's ambitious third book... Haunting and hopeful, Sorrowland makes exper...
"Sorrowland [is] a gothic techno-thriller in which the trauma of the past is parried with defiance and a thirst for understanding, as embodied by an electrifying young hero." ―Hephzibah Anderson, The Guardian
"Sorrowland is a fully engrossing story that fully embraces its characters and beautifully engages with their lived experiences of gender, queerness, disability, racialization, power and corruption, and relationship with the land." ―Sarah Neilson, Shondaland
"If you've read Rivers Solomon's previous work, you'll be familiar with their fearless explorations of transformation, identity, oppression and power, and Sorrowland continues this investigation with fantastic, terrifying sci-fi brilliance." ―Karla Strand, Ms.
"Sorrowland is a powerful story about motherhood, survival, and the cruel treatment of Black bodies." ―Taiwo Balogun, Marie Claire
"Riveting and harrowing . . . This novel vividly portrays how Black bodies have been used for unethical experiments while it also celebrates queer love, motherhood, and vengeance. It's gorgeously written and sure to be one of my favorite books of the year." ―Margaret Kingsbury, Buzzfeed
"A story you simply won't see coming. You might think you've figured out the pillars of its structure after a few chapters, or come to truly understand its protagonist after walking a few dozen pages with her, but to read this powerful, moving and terrifying novel is to enter into a constant state of change. The story envelops you slowly, like a cocoon, wrapping you in its ever-increasing depth and heart until you emerge, at the end, transformed." ―Matthew Jackson, BookPage
"Science fiction and Gothic horror collide in Solomon's ambitious third book... Haunting and hopeful, Sorrowland makes exper...
Readers Top Reviews
Keith PeltzmanDia
Just didn’t get it. Like the beginning in the woods with her kids. Lost it for me after that part.
LovenessKeith Pel
The first 75% of this was not for me, too much with the kids and low plot. Vern is unlikable but relatable and fantastic. Very satisfying ending.
Kindle LovenessK
Marvelous, heartbreaking, breathtaking. And one among thousands of stories of lives stolen and used in the name of someone else's idea of progress, of profit. This story is ultimately victorious for the characters, but keep in mind these victories are the story. The truth (as Vern prefers it) is darker, bloodier, harder. We thrive in the darkness, in the woods, among the ghosts.
April WashingtonK
Sorrowland snagged me up from the very first page, holding me close in its snug cocoon. Squeezing. I couldn't put it down. Every page was more exquisite, fierce, haunting, wilder than the last. Every word weaved together a powerful story that will live forever in my soul. The visuals burned into my mind. Shaken to my core, I yearn. To rage. To howl at the moon. Feel the earth between my toes, and scream until my throat collapses. It was everything I needed right now, wrapped in a dark shiny bow.
Kindle April Was
I have loved the journey you took me on. This story opens places you would never think to look. This is similar to some of Stephen King's work but, most definitely deeply her own. I highly recommend this book especially if you love complexity and depth and being introduced to perspectives you could never have imagined. I hate reviews that retell a story. Buy this book.
