Dominion A Novel
Dominion A Novel by Addie E. Citchens, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on August 19, 2025, is a Southern family drama that explores the complexities of life in a small Mississippi town. The narrative centers around Reverend Sabre Winfrey, Jr., a figure of authority who controls various aspects of the community, including a barbershop and a radio station. His youngest son, Emanuel, known as Wonderboy, is admired for his talents but faces unexpected challenges that disrupt the status quo, revealing the underlying tensions and moral ambiguities within the family and the town.
Readers will find an intricate portrayal of the relationships between the Winfrey family and the women who love them, particularly Priscilla and Diamond. Through their perspectives, Dominion delves into themes of secrecy, shame, and the impact of silence on personal and communal dynamics. The novel examines how love intertwines with the everyday struggles against fear and patriarchy, offering a nuanced view of the characters’ lives and the societal structures that shape them. With 240 pages, this edition presents a compelling narrative that invites reflection on the complexities of human relationships and the societal forces at play.
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A Must-Read: People, NPR, Vulture, Literary Hub, The Millions, Garden & Gun, Goodreads
Long-Listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
Winner of the O. Henry Prize for “That Girl”
An Indies Introduce and Indie Next Pick
A Publishers Weekly Writer to Watch
In this taut Southern family drama, the sins of a favorite son rock a small Mississippi town.
Reverend Sabre Winfrey, Jr., shepherd of the Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church, believes in God, his own privilege, and enterprise. He owns the barbershop and the radio station, and generally keeps an iron hand on every aspect of society in Dominion, Mississippi. He and his wife, Priscilla, have five boys; the youngest, Emanuel, is called Wonderboy—no one sings prettier, runs as fast, or turns as many heads. But Wonderboy, his father, and all the structures in place that keep them on top are not as righteous as they seem to be. And when Wonderboy is caught off guard by an encounter with a stranger, he finds himself confronted by questions he’d never imagined. His response sends shock waves through the entire community.
Priscilla and Diamond, two women who love these men, bear witness to their charms and bear the brunt of their choices. Through their eyes and their stories, Dominion offers an intricate, intimate view of how secrets control us, how shame stifles us, how silence implicates us, and how even love plays a role in the everyday violence and casual sins of the powerful.
A brilliantly crafted Black Southern family drama told with the captivating force, humor, and tenderness carried in the hearts of these women, Addie E. Citchens’s Dominion wrestles with the many brutal, sinister ways in which we are shaped by fear and patriarchy, and studies how we might yet choose to break free.
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