I have stated previously on the blog that I’m not a new fiction book reader. Mostly, I’ve read backlist novels and only purchased new books from my favorite authors. There is always an exception to any reading rule I have made for myself. This is the case for Dominion by Addie E. Citchens. Since its release last year, Dominion has generated a lot of buzz. Well, I got Barnes & Noble gift card as a Christmas gift and purchased the novel.

Dominion tells the story of the Winfrey family in rural Mississippi. Sabre Winfrey is the patriarch and pastor of Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church, and everyone in his family, from his wife, Priscilla, and their five sons, revolve around him. Their youngest son, Emmanuel (also called Wonderboy), is doted on by his parents and admired by the community because of his prodigious talents. However, he has an encounter that will alter the course of his life forever.

The story is told from the viewpoints of Priscilla, the pastor’s wife, and a teenage girl named Diamond who is madly in love with Wonderboy. As Wonderboy’s life unravels from his choices and the dark side of his personality, you can see how it changes the relationships with his mom and girlfriend.

I will admit the ending did not surprise me because I could see as a reader the inevitable fate of Pastor Sabre and Priscilla’s youngest son. Closing the novel, I had the distinct impression of witnessing intimate family secrets that were not intended for public consumption. Citchens crafted a narrative that authentically depicted African American church life, offering a perspective rarely found in contemporary literary fiction. Despite that, this feeling of unease that arose from reading the novel remains. Dominion is certainly a thought-provoking work of fiction that I can imagine becoming a popular choice for book clubs.