I cannot remember the last time I read a book this quickly. The past several years have done a number on my ability to focus on books and I frequently find it difficult to maintain traction with even the most compelling stories (eg. N.K. Jemisin's The Broken Earth trilogy). I finished this book in three days, and it would have been two if the lights hadn't gone out with 30 pages left to go.
This book makes me miss Octavia Butler and feel close to her at the same time. Perhaps I will write here someday about my parasocial and spiritual relationship with Octavia (built entirely through working with her archive), but for now, suffice it to say I miss her and I try to honor her in my life. Octavia often said the most important thing for writers is to tell a good story. Without a good story, it doesn't matter how clever or well-constructed your ideas are. In Sorrowland, Rivers Solomon enacts this advice from Octavia (I don't know if they did so consciously, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're familiar with this piece of her advice). The story is fast-paced and gripping, and the characters feel fresh and interesting. On a surface level, the story is similar to Orphan Black in its pacing and plot points. Engage the reader by telling a good story. Below the surface (though not much below), this book critiques U.S. colonialism and the white supremacist belief systems (such as racism, ableism, queerphobia) that underpin U.S. power structures.
I really wish I could share this book with Octavia and hear her thoughts. I think she'd have liked it a lot.
Find Sorrowland at a library near you.
This is a book I think about often and recommend almost as often. I love Maren and Ursa and carry them with me in my heart.