From the history of the way the government has experimented on people of color in this country, to the way that the visions and haunts are used to fill the gaps in the story, but in such a subtle way that it is acceptable, to the end, this needs to be read by everyone so that it can be discussed at length. It is one of those novels that you want to talk about because there are so many layers that can be explored. The entire novel, particularly Vern, the physical transformation that she endures and the visions that get stronger and stronger throughout Sorrowland, feels very real. The guilt that she expresses feels very real, and it all makes sense to the way that she was raised and the things that she was admonished for while still living on the Acres of Cain. Even after she is away from the cult for years, she feels the oppression and guilt from her upbringing.

Vern is attracted to women and this is against the teachings of the Cainites. One aspect is the way they use the impact of the cult to influence some of Vern’s decisions. Solomon writes Sorrowland in a way that all of it feels very real. Of course the “final standoff” is not what she expects at all. The physical metamorphosis of Vern changes with the mental metamorphosis, that she needs to have a final standoff with the cult instead of running. By the end of the book, Vern has changed, become stronger, but with this strength comes pain and hurt.

We know that Vern is not going to be able to stay hidden forever, that they are going to find her, and that even though the sympathetic response of fleeing eventually has to turn to fighting, we do not know what the outcome is going to be. Vern does not want to return so she uses her cunning and some help to try to stay hidden.Īs the novel unfolds, the tension and anxiety continues to increase.

The Cainites are physically changing through experiments sponsored by the government, and Vern is the most successful of the group. Vern runs with her twins, Howling and Feral, even though the cult is following her, tracking her because they need her back. The book opens with Vern, an albino pregnant with twins, escaping a cult (The Cainites on the Blessed Acres of Cain), to raise them the way she wants to raise them.

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