Dominion by C.J. Sansom

Dominion (2012) by C.J. Sansom was exciting, disturbing, interesting, and -- given current events -- pretty depressing. The story offered an incredibly important view of "what if" the allies had tried appeasement and compromise in relation to Hitler's reign. In not fighting back against the evil, the allies became the evil.

Sansom did an especially good job of demonstrating how insidious nationalism can be, how dangerous the rhetoric of 'others' can be for all citizens, not just members of the 'other' groups. It was a stark reminder that targeting certain groups of people can seep into the core of a culture and lead to devastating consequences for not just the targeted groups but for everyone as well. I really try to avoid politics on this blog, but I can't help wondering -- are we there again, so gradually we didn't notice?

Outside of the message of the plot, the pacing of the story and writing was great -- definately a book I had trouble putting down! The characters were very well-developed, the settings described so well I could almost hear the strange echoes of footsteps running along the pavement in the fog, and the integration of real historical elements with fictional characters / events and speculation made for a very compelling read.

I truly reccomend this book to everyone based on the merits of the fiction by itself; the fact that the message is so resonant with current events is a bonus.

“Whenever a party tells you national identity matters more than anything else in politics, that nationalism can sort out all the other problems, then watch out, because you’re on a road that can end with fascism.” ― C.J. Sansom, Dominion

Keep reading! Beth