Dominion
A Novel
by Addie E. Citchens
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Pub Date Aug 19 2025 | Archive Date Sep 19 2025
Description
In this taut Southern family drama, the sins of a favorite son rock a small Mississippi town.
Reverend Sabre Winfrey, shepherd of the Seven Seals Baptist Church, believes in God, his own privilege, and enterprise. Besides the barbershop and radio station he owns, he has an iron hand on every aspect of Dominion, Mississippi, society. 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. After a surprising encounter with a stranger, Wonderboy finds himself confronted by questions he’d never imagined, and his response will send shockwaves through the entire community. Told from the point of view of the women who love these two men, Dominion illustrates how we enable the everyday violence and casual sins of the patriarchy.
A Black Southern family drama that deals as much in tenderness and humor as it does in brutality, Addie E. Citchens’s Dominion reveals the many sinister ways in which we are shaped by fear and patriarchy.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“This is the rarest and finest kind of storytelling, where both the tradition and innovation get plucked by the most audacious artistry I’ve experienced in a long, long time. You read this and see there’s literally nothing narratively Citchens can’t do with her skill, her will. We have never in our reading lives experienced such an imagination, a gumption, a breathing Mississippi, and a craftsperson this locked in at this stage of her career. My god, we are lucky.” —Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy
“It’s rare that a debut author produces a work of such tenderness and ferocity, but that’s what Addie Citchens has done in her unforgettable Dominion. Rich with metaphor and thrumming power, it tells a vivid and unforgettable story of two Mississippi Black women. If Citchens didn’t exist, the South would invent her. But she does exist and our common literary soil is enriched because of it.” —Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of The American Daughters
“I loved this brilliant novel. Dominion is a must-read. Addie Citchens tackles misogyny with urgency, humor, authenticity, and unflinching honesty. Citchens has crafted an unforgettable work of art that exalts the beauty and strength of Black womanhood against the backdrop of the patriarchy. Thought-provoking and entertaining, this incandescent novel will stay with readers.”—Annell López, author of I’ll Give You a Reason
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780374609337 |
| PRICE | $27.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 240 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Elena Y, Reviewer
Yet another PHENOMENAL novel for 2025. I truly don't know if I'll be able to do this book justice in this review, it's been a couple of days since I finished reading and my mind just...wow. Addie E. Citchens has crafted something truly unforgettable with Dominion, this book impacted me on such a deep level that I can't explain in words.
Dominion, a typical Southern town in Mississippi, is ruled by the Winfrey family. Reverend Winfrey is the town's prophet, revered as a king among kings, and he rules with an iron fist alongside his First Lady, Priscilla. His five sons are his legacy, and he expects greatness above all else. The greatest of them all, Wonderboy, is the next coming of Christ...supposedly. Wonderboy is the embodiment of perfection itself, sacred to the town of Dominion. This story is not told through him, though, but rather his mother and girlfriend--the two women that love him most in the world. It's through their eyes that we watch the cracks begin to show that may lead to the downfall of the men they love most. Although, there are three sides to every story....and the truth will come out eventually. What would you sacrifice to keep your loved ones safe? Would they do the same for you? Is love truly worth losing yourself and your identity?
I couldn't stop myself from reading this entire book in one day. I was stuck watching in horror as the drama unfolded, my stomach churning and my brow furrowed. Citchens weaves in so many pertinent social issues into this story, and refuses to shy away from the grotesque truth. Systemic racism, toxic masculinity, evangelicalism, and the other ropes that bind us in fear and oppression. Dominion is absolute and unyielding.
If you're going to read ANY of my recommendations this year, let it be this novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!
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