Rivers Solomon, author of the critically acclaimed book A wickedness of ghosts and The abyss, writes a compelling story about autonomy and what defines freedom. In an America that reflects today’s racial injustices and social disparities, Land of sorrow shows the physical and metaphysical transformation of an individual harmed by the system.

Vern gives birth to her twin sons after escaping from the complex called Cainland. Someone she calls the demon stalks her through the woods where she camps and takes care of her babies Howling and Feral. Instead of settling in a nearby town, Vern, a teenager at the beginning of the novel, stays in the forest. It depends on water, plants and animals for food. When the pain and physical changes in her body (since her escape from Cainland, also known as Blessed Acres) become more difficult to bear, she decides to track down Lucy, her friend who had escaped from the resort ago. years.

Vern navigates unfamiliar terrain, his children are even more bewildered by the world outside their forest house. She ends up finding where Lucy supposedly lives, but sees that the address leads her to Bridget, who tells her that Lucy went missing several years ago. Vern stays with Bridget and her niece GoGo (both Lakota), and as she tries to adjust to stability, she continues to undergo physical changes. And she learns that she is transforming into a being of superhuman strength and vitality.

Solomon’s evocative prose unveils the story of Vern, a black albino woman, partially blind and lesbian, as she goes through changes in her life and body. She encounters hauntings of people and past memories, the withdrawal symptoms from the drugs that the compound had forced upon her. The compound’s psychological hold on her, including abuse from her husband (Reverend Sherman), causes her to question herself in certain situations.

The story provides a glimpse into Vern’s life in the strictly religious complex of Cainland, which stems from a black nationalist movement against white supremacy. Initially, a community meant to empower black people, Cainland (where they worship the God of Cain) reinforces the oppressive values ​​of white America. The pleasures of the outside world, as well as homosexuality and processed foods, are considered the evil of the white man. Even after his escape, Vern struggles with his sexuality and other “sins.”

Recalling books like Parable of the sower by Octavia E. Butler and Black no more by George Schuyler, Land of sorrow stands out for its intersectionality and blunt perspective.

Land of sorrow by Rivers Solomon is available from Macmillian. You can read an excerpt here.

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

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