nonidude's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Murder, Gore, Racism, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Animal death, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Genocide, Death of parent, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
casthefanby'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Murder, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Racism, Animal death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Lesbophobia, Self harm, Kidnapping, and Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, and Addiction
kanj1'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: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gore, Child abuse, Violence, Sexism, Racism, Pedophilia, Lesbophobia, Grief, Abandonment, and Misogyny
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Confinement
bruisedtigers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Some dialogue with side/supporting characters is very heavy-handed for making a statement, which is all very well, but feels unbalanced compared to the more eloquent writing of similar issues in other sections of the book. Unfortunately, it sticks out in an odd way.
The character work is great and I always admire well-written child characters in fiction. So much of this gets under the skin and lurks in an eerie way. Unique with its horror elements and very haunting.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Homophobia, Hate crime, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Kidnapping, Grief, Body horror, Racism, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Slavery, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
strawberrytheauthor'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
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Death, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, Pregnancy, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Addiction, Colonisation, and Gun violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Abandonment, Suicide, Racism, Police brutality, Infertility, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Racial slurs
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: Chronic illness, Ableism, Confinement, Death, Rape, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Animal death, Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, Genocide, Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Self harm
razzberry_pi'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
4.75
Spoiler
Vern meets Bridget and Gogo and they start figuring stuff outusually i can guess where book twists are going to be, but this one suprised me while still making sense.
definitely head the content warnings on this one as a lot of the topics are quite heavy, but the topics were handled with care in a purposeful way, not just trauma porn
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Self harm
Minor: Police brutality, Animal death, Addiction, Ableism, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
cookiecat73'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Racism, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Blood, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abandonment, Colonisation, Rape, Sexual assault, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Excrement, Racial slurs, and Slavery
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: Death, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Stalking, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Confinement, and Gun violence
strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Gore, Violence, and Death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Death of parent, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Torture, Violence, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content