Dominion: A Novel

A Southern family drama where nobody is okay, but everyone is very committed to pretending they are.

If you’ve ever thought, “What if patriarchy, small-town power, and religious authority all got into a group chat and decided to ruin everyone’s life?”congratulations! This book is basically your answer, just with more barbershop ownership and spiritual intimidation.

Reverend Sabre Winfrey is introduced as a man who believes in God, capitalism, and the general concept that he should be in charge of everything at all times. And honestly? He commits to that belief system like it’s a competitive sport. Dominion, Mississippi is less a town and more a very tense stage where he is permanently center spotlight, whether anyone asked for a performance or not.

Then there’s Wonderboy—the youngest son, golden child, local phenomenon, and apparently the human embodiment of “uh oh, something bad is definitely going to happen.” He sings, he runs, he turns heads, and then—because subtlety is not invited here—he encounters a stranger and the entire narrative quietly mutters, “well, this will absolutely spiral.”

The story itself is told through the women orbiting these men, which is fitting, because someone has to do the emotional labor while the men are busy building monuments to their own authority and occasionally setting them on fire.

The themes? Patriarchy, complicity, violence, control, and the slow realization that “favorite son” is less a blessing and more a community-wide liability.

Because while the book clearly has something important to say, it sometimes says it like it’s yelling it across a church parking lot during a heatwave. The symbolism is heavy enough to qualify for its own zip code, and the emotional intensity never really gets a chance to breathe—it just escalates, then escalates again, then looks you dead in the eye and escalates one more time for good measure.

Still, it’s compelling in that “I feel slightly stressed and also morally implicated” way. You may not enjoy reading it, but you will absolutely finish it thinking, “wow, men really will do that, huh.”

I went into this one completely blind, and it delivered. Addie Citchens has a great writing style and a genuinely wild imagination. Each chapter opens with that week's church sermon before shifting into the story, which alternates between Priscilla (the First Lady of the Church), and Diamond (a young woman in love with Wonderboy). Together, these two perspectives tell the secrets the men in their lives are keeping. My only wish is that the book were longer. 100 or 200 more pages would have given some scenes deeper dives into key moments and conversations. The pacing is fast, which is a plus, but a little more depth would have made it even better. If you love drama, church hypocrisy, and a story that will genuinely catch you off guard, this is the one. Highly recommend.

“𝐓𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐛 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧.” Dominion is a highly entertaining story of hypocritical church folk that really packed a punch. I mean one would THINK that Christians would have a light that shines goodness and the fruits of the spirit....well, that doesn't always happen (as we see daily IRL). Wolves in sheep’s clothing… What better way to learn about a man than through the lens of his mother and the woman who loves him? Both have very different ideals of Wonderboy. Sure, he's handsome, charismatic and a dynamic football player, but there's also something more conniving about him, but both ladies view him with rose colored glasses, turning a blind eye to things they don't want to see. The story is short, but rich, and leaves a lasting impression! Kitchens delivers a flourish of sharp wit, impeccable irony, and high drama, which brings the story to life. Every time the announcer said, “I’m just a nobody, trying to tell somebody about The One who can save everybody” I thought about my dad because he sings that often! The full cast narration performance was stellar and engaging! Bahni Turpin's narrations of deep Southern characters are my absolute favorite. Dion Graham voice is perfect in any story! And this was my first time hearing Angel Pean, but she did a great job as Diamond! They really amplified the story off the pages. I know that this would be an excellent, binge worthy Netflix series! “People rarely just snap and do crazy shit. What look like a snap to other people was actually an erosion of the surfaces that we built up for protection. Unfortunately, people would rather dwell on the snap than the wearing.” “Dangerous women have the power to make men risk it all. They brought men to their knees. What was the source of that power? Did I have it? Did I want? Should I want it?” ((Yes!))

This was a page Turner, finished in one day!