"Dominion , the debut novel from Addie E. Citchens, takes its title most obviously from its setting: the fictional town of Dominion, Mississippi, a small town where the prominent Winfrey family holds a preeminent social and spiritual position in the Black community. But the title also has another meaning, because this is a novel about degrees of power and privilege, and who is permitted dominion over whom."
"The Winfrey men are given dominion over basically anything they want or can take. Sabre, the patriarch, is the lead pastor at Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church; he is respected and revered; writes weekly treatises for his congregants under the header "I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody"; and has affairs he doesn't seem at all interested in keeping quiet."
"Diamond does not really believe in God but attends the Seven Seals religiously so she can watch Manny play bass in the church band. Manny takes an interest in her and the two begin dating; to Diamond, this is some stroke of luck; from our perspective as readers, it's clear that something a bit more nefarious may be at play, though how conscious or even intentional Manny's motivations are remains unclear throughout the book."
Dominion is set in Dominion, Mississippi, where the Winfrey family holds a preeminent social and spiritual position in the Black community. Sabre Winfrey leads Seven Seals Missionary Baptist Church, writes weekly religious treatises, and maintains extramarital affairs with little concern for secrecy. His five sons are nearly grown and promising, except Emanuel (Manny/Wonderboy), the youngest and most charismatic high-school junior. The narrative alternates first-person perspectives from Priscilla, Sabre's long-suffering wife, and Diamond, a local teen from a hard background. Diamond attends church to watch Manny play bass; Manny courts her while wrestling with emotional darkness and entitlement, blurring consent and power.
Read at Jezebel
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