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the_true_monroe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, and Terminal illness
ellioteverafter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Whatever you've done or not done, I'm going to take care of you.
This work is raw and viscerally upsetting, and its themes of racial trauma, religious zeal, and colonialism are treated with the utmost care, but more than that, they were uplifted by an incredible protagonist and the fascinating, courageous story she leads.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Genocide, Medical trauma, and Colonisation
nonidude's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Genocide, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
ash_ton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i was not expecting the turn the book took. like, at all. wild
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Cultural appropriation
deathcabforkatey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes sci-fi/fantasy that pushes the genre.
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Genocide
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Colonisation
mixtercharlie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
lpdx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer and Medical content
martinatan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Some works of media that I felt this story lives in kinship with:
- Beloved by Toni Morrison, for its part-tender, part-visceral prose and handling of generational trauma and haunting
- The art of Firelei Baez and Wangechi Mutu, for their beautiful blend of human and inhuman, exploring symbiotic and antagonistic relationships between humans and the natural world
- Jordan Peele’s film Nope, in that it provides a uniquely Black perspective on the American attraction to spectacle and exploitation, and for the horror/sci-fi elements
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, for themes of hindsight and memory of an institution after you’ve escaped it
Of course, this is not to say that Sorrowland borrows too much from other works—on the contrary, it is a masterpiece of its own that will make you think differently not just about our country’s history of medical exploitation of Black people, but also the boundaries between different genres, the capabilities of the body under immense pressure, and our relationship to nature and society.
I would be so excited to analyze this book in a university setting and I hope it can be regarded as a rich and provocative text for a variety of disciplines: Race and Colonialism Studies, Gender and Sexuality, History, Creative Fiction, etc.
Graphic: Body horror and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Colonisation
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
absolute fucking masterpiece
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Racial slurs, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Transphobia
graphic: cult