Finding emotional roots in Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Beyond a Book Review March ‘26

The layers of generational trauma in Sorrowland, by Rivers Solomon

Rivers Solomon is a Black American author whose sci-fi, gothic, and horror writing explores “themes of race, queerness, generational trauma, and social marginalization.” I never quote-grab about the authors whose work I review, but this phrasing is very close to how I dream of being introduced online when, you know, my work is “big published.” Further, I’d like my work to do just that. And Solomon fully delivers with Sorrowland, a novel that follows Vern Riley as she escapes the cult she grew up in by hiding in the woods. There, she gives birth to her twins, raising them while being stalked by a fiend.

This book is layered. The base is Vern’s escape and survival. Next comes her needs as a woman, which introduces her sexuality and the ways in which Cainland, her cult home, has repressed her. Readers also learn about the pattern of escaping violence into violence, whether that violence was/is situational or institutional. There are ripples from every choice that led to Vern’s escape. She hunts them forward and backward through action and memory.

Bearing witness to living memory

What’s most interesting in the complex web of this gripping narrative is the way memory takes shape. Solomon takes “haunted by the past” to a new level, deeply exploring generational history not just of blood, but of community. As readers, we bear witness alongside Vern as she navigates the living memory of those connected with Cainland and its secretive biological practices.

Vern is dynamic. She begins as a girl for whom womanhood is forced. She becomes a mother, a migrant. Ultimately, both refugee and, of course, hero. But none of these events happen in the way the reader expects. Vern’s life complications, while surreal and sci-fi, are fresh metaphorical takes on what survival looks like when more than your body or sexual preferences are under attack. The global hate of Blackness and its long history is a palpable legacy Vern navigates physically and mentally in gripping, tactile ways throughout her story.

This is another book for which I chose the audio version, and I’m glad I did. Karen Chilton narrates with gorgeous pacing. The experience was immersive. I found myself listening outside my commutes, bringing the book with me in the shower and while I completed chores. Too often, I forgot what I was doing and found myself standing in the kitchen with a hand toward the fridge or leaning against a wall with my eyes trained on my phone from which the book was playing.

A writing exercise

Generational trauma. Who are we because of it? Who would we be without it? How can we incorporate it into our present in ways that allow us both to resolve it and benefit from it?

I’m grappling with these questions, so I offer you a prompt to do the same:

This is an expressive writing prompt, so set up your writing container with a timer, candles, and whatever else you need to cue your mind and body to disengage.

For 15 minutes, write about what your family has carried forward, intentionally or otherwise, that plays a role in your character. Who are you because of what happened before you were born? How did your parents carry forward their trauma (through reactive parenting, fear, absence) to influence your upbringing? How do those choices impact your choices now?

As an example, my parents were violent and overbearing, both emotionally and physically. As a result, I have given my children too much freedom and struggle daily with their lack of respect. But when I look into my parents’ choices, I find they come from abuses they suffered and the violence of the generation before them, and so on. So, what I’m asking in this prompt is, what are your emotional roots?

After you write, be sure to perform a five-minute written check-in. Note anything you felt in your body, where, and how this writing impacted you. These debriefs are scientifically proven to help you ground and process.

In this series, Shawna Ayoub moves “beyond a book review” in not only recommending great books by diverse writers but highlighting a technique to apply to your own writing practice. Read more book reviews and recommendations on the Center for Creative Writing blog. If this month’s title sounds intriguing to you, consider purchasing your own copy of Sorrowland at Bookshop.org in support of independent bookstores across the U.S.

Shawna Ayoub is an essayist, fiction writer, poet, and instructor with an MFA in Creative Writing from Indiana University. Some of her work has been published in The Manifest-Station, Role Reboot, [wherever], The Huffington Post, The Oxford Review and Exit 7. Her writing explores the intersections of race, place and survivorship. She writes with honesty about her own experience in order to transform pain. She teaches the Center for Creative Writing’s founding course, Writing the Wave, as well as Writing Your Web Presence and Writing through Trauma to Truth, and she is available for generative writing sessions and private writing guidance. The next six-week course session begins April 14.

Shawna also hosts biweekly silent write-ins, a collaboration between the Center for Creative Writing and Survive Your Story. You need to register (free) to join, but you can drop in or out at any point to write or work in quiet community. A prompt will be offered. Survive Your Story paid subscribers have the option of submitting prompt-based writing for feedback to Shawna within one week of each session. Our write-ins are a judgment-free zone. Here’s how to join:

March 14 12:00-1:30PM EST: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/xIXP-YGwSZOp7dx2MKZZsw

March 27 3:00-4:30PM EST: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/zu9cG8wySQWsdT_yhcl5Ng

Register in advance using the above links. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting(s).

Shawna’s cat may or may not be in attendance.

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