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Rivers Solomon’s SORROWLAND is a gothic horror tale that shows how injustices imposed on Black Americans change us Sweeping and expansive in its ambition, it’s a novel that crosses genres and ideas, resulting in something darkly enchanting and oddly salient SORROWLAND is anchored by an intriguing central character: Vern, a young woman who is haunted and on the run after leaving a Black separatist cult She is 19, and pregnant; the father of the child is the leader of the cult She hides out in a nearby forest, where she gives birth to twins, Howling and Feral As the plot unfolds, Vern is hounded by the US government, individuals connected to the cult and supernatural creatures A mysterious fungus is growing inside of her, resulting in a slow metamorphosis that is intertwined with the past She finds herself fleeing from it all    The significance of Cain, the base of the cult and the compound where Vern grows up, is an analogy for ideas of Black liberation Cain is a cocoon of sorts, a shelter fashioned from movements such as the Black Panthers to tackle the injustices of slavery, racism and inherited trauma Its founders intended to make a world free from the influence of white society, specifically designed to facilitate Black independence Removed from the functions of capitalism, Cain fosters Black cultures while protecting its people Its inhabitants rely on their own ingenuity for survival and live off the land Its children are named after great historical figures such as Harriet, Malcolm and Martin There are no policemen in Cain, Solomon’s nod to the growing call for abolition in modern times But there is a flaw in its ideology: it is suffocated by an archaic Christian influence Girls are not educated in the same way boys are, queerness is considered a major problem created by white men Women are encouraged to submit to their husbands and heterosexuality is the norm Solomon does a fine job in animating the repressive elements of Cain, spotlighting an inherent problem shared by movements that claim to have a solution for human survival: it