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A review by parkerluck
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
I loved the plot and the characters, especially everything with Vern and her children. The prose was lovely, although occasionally a bit... overbearing? But once I adjusted to it it was easy to move with.
I did find the 3rd part to be a little scattered/rushed. Too many side characters introduced that only seemed to exist as a vehicle for the author to pontificate (the hunters/motel women). The ideas weren't bad, but they felt out of place, especially since those themes could have been addressed a little more naturally when Vern was making her way through the world earlier. The denouement action also felt a little tacked on after we had spent so much time immersed in the rest of the story.
Overall, really good though! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for awhile, and it filled a gap I was looking for.
I did find the 3rd part to be a little scattered/rushed. Too many side characters introduced that only seemed to exist as a vehicle for the author to pontificate (the hunters/motel women). The ideas weren't bad, but they felt out of place, especially since those themes could have been addressed a little more naturally when Vern was making her way through the world earlier. The denouement action also felt a little tacked on after we had spent so much time immersed in the rest of the story.
Overall, really good though! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for awhile, and it filled a gap I was looking for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Homophobia, Racism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia
A lot of warnings on this and it does deal with quite heavy subject matter. There are no graphic descriptions of rape/abuse, as all of this content happens off screen.