Dominion - C. J. Sansom

‘They can’t do this. Not here, not in England.’

Imagine a Britain with a recent past that is quite unlike the one we know…

It is 1952, and Britain has taken a different direction; an alternative history prevails here. One that sees Britain allied with Germany, Churchill not Prime Minister but instead a wanted man who is relegated to leading the British Resistance movement, Britain having surrendered to Nazi Germany in the war that began in 1939 after only one year. The government consists of right-wing fascists, appeasers and businessmen. There are ‘Nazi fingers in every dark corner of the state.’ There is no freedom of the press or unions, and protestors to the regime are dealt with harshly by the cruel Auxiliary police. There are rumours that British Jews may be moved to detention camps soon.

David Fitzgerald is a civil servant in the Dominions Office. He is also a spy for the Resistance. Sarah, David’s wife, is a pacifist like her father. She mourns, as David does, for the son they lost in a tragic accident. She seems opposed to the violence that the Resistance is increasingly turning to in order to make themselves heard. David argues: ‘What are people supposed to do? We’ve let it all go. Democracy, independence, freedom.’ Alongside their greater personal struggles, there is the question of whether their marriage can survive all that they have been through.

Frank Muncaster is a research scientist who has recently been shut away in a mental hospital. He has attracted the interest of both the Resistance and the Germans. What caused this quiet man to push his older brother Edgar through the window of his flat, what did Edgar say to him? Edgar had come back home to England from his job as a prominent scientist in America after their mother died, to deal with her affairs. What is the secret which Frank now knows, and why is it of such great importance to all sides? In fleshing out Frank’s background, the novel touches on public schools, spiritualism, and loneliness.

Gunther Hoth is the determined, driven Gestapo Sturmbannfuehrer brought over to England with a mission to track down Frank and discover just what he knows.

An array of strong characters represents the viewpoints of all sides. From those fighting for the resistance, to pacifists, to supporters of the government, to those who choose to look the other way and do nothing, to Germans, all are brought into the story, and so many carry weighty secrets. Barriers are broken down as Resistance fighters from all backgrounds come together to provide a network of safety and assistance to each other.

The world is unrecognizable. Will British values survive? Will Britain follow the lead of Germany in the abhorrent treatment of Jews? There is such fear on the streets. People are encouraged to spy on their neighbours, to report any suspicious activity. Those in power control all the news reported on the radio, television and in the press.

For David, there is the stark realization that he longs to believe none of this is real, but it is:

‘He understood suddenly how much of him, all this time, had remained anchored to the world he had been brought up in and longed, deep inside, to believe still existed: Britain, his country, dull and self-absorbed, ironic even about it’s own prejudices. But that Britain was gone, had instead turned into a place where an authoritarian government in league with Fascist thugs thrived on nationalist dreams of Empire, on scapegoats and enemies. And he was now, irrevocably, an enemy.’

London is heavy with smog, the gloom adding intensity to the frightening atmosphere, not knowing who is hiding where, who will appear out of the night?

There is tension throughout and this builds dramatically towards the thrilling finale as the assembled group of diverse characters we have come to know and cheer for must fight for their lives.

C. J. Sansom is masterful at creating and sustaining suspense; at making you turn the page, leaving you wanting more. He did this in Winter in Madrid and has done it again here. I found this a compulsive, frightening thriller; it is exciting, gripping stuff that had me turning the pages very quickly, fearful of what was to come and yet desperate to find out. The author re-writes history and depicts these momentous events so convincingly through the lives of these ordinary people, these ‘brave people with secrets’. Powerful themes run through this novel; most dominant are the divides of class, nationality, race and religion.

A thrilling and astounding re-imagining of our recent past.

Reviewed by Lindsay Healy

Published by Mantle, an imprint of Pan Macmillan

Here's a link to an article by the author about this book.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel to read and review.