Resistance: A Novel [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Owen Sheers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2008

1944. After the fall of Russia and the failed D-Day landings, a German counterattack lands on British soil. Within a month, half of Britain is occupied. The seat of British government has fled to Worcester, Churchill to Canada. A network of British resistance cells is all that is left to defy the German army.
Against this backdrop, Resistance opens with Sarah Lewis, a twenty-six-year-old farmer’s wife, waking to find her husband, Tom, has disappeared. She is not alone, as all the other women in the Welsh border valley of Olchon wake to find their husbands gone. With this sudden and unexplained absence, the women regroup as an isolated, all-female community and wait, hoping for news.
Later, a German patrol arrives in the valley, the purpose of their mission a mystery. When a severe winter forces the two groups together, a fragile mutual dependency develops. Sarah begins a faltering acquaintance with the patrol’s commanding officer, Albrecht Wolfram, and it is to her that he reveals the purpose of the patrol. But as the pressure of the war beyond presses in on this isolated community, this fragile state of harmony is increasingly threatened.
Imbued with immense imaginative breadth and confidence, Owen Sheers’s debut novel unfolds with the pace and intensity of a thriller. A hymn to the glorious landscape of the Welsh border territories and a portrait of a community under siege, Resistance is a first novel of grace and power.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Poet Sheers takes readers to a small Welsh village during a speculative WWII—featuring a German invasion of Britain—in his auspicious debut novel. It's 1944 and Sarah Lewis and the women in Ochlon valley are left alone after all the local men disappear one night. The women's worlds suddenly shrink to the day-to-day struggles to keep their sheep farms going until the war comes to their doorsteps in the form of Capt. Albrecht Wolfram and his men, who have a murky mission to carry out in the valley. Promising to leave the women alone, the Germans occupy an abandoned house and the two camps keep mostly to themselves until a harsh winter takes hold, and it becomes clear that the locals and the Germans will have to depend on one another to survive. It's also revealed that Albrecht is just as interested as the locals are in staying away from the war for as long as possible, and the two communities begin to merge. But when the weather breaks and the valley reopens to the world—and hence the war—the peculiar idyll threatens to shatter. Sheers's alternate reality is frighteningly convincing and dripping with heartbreak. This is an outstanding debut.
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Review

“Owen Sheers's Resistance is an astonishing and compelling study of human nature against the backdrop of an occupied village. Sheers plumbs the depths of love, cowardice, bravery, and the devastating effects of blind patriotism, and in doing so exposes the best and worst of humanity in unexpected and haunting ways.”
–Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants

“[The] mixture of brutality and kindness is the great insight of Resistance… [The novel] demonstrates fiction’s unique power–we might call it the power of the hypothesis–to stand outside of recorded history and remind us how complicated and compromising an actual act of resistance might be.”
–New York Times Book Review

“Owen Sheers’ Resistance is a literary novel, but it's also a page turner. [It] immediately brings to mind "Dolce," the second part of Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Francaise, which also treats the deepening feeling between a German officer and a married woman in an occupied land. Sheers’ novel is even more exquisitely written and suspenseful than Nemirovsky's, and it held me in its grip until the last page.”
–Chicago Tribune

“Emotionally complex, full of local rhythms and color, Sheers' first novel is hard to resist.
–USA Today

“The major accomplishment of this novel is that Sheers never lets his considerable research distract from the focus of his story. He also has a subtle and rather beautiful understanding of emotional nuance, and this plays out among his characters. It's a seductive story, made all the more appealing because it is so credibly set in circumstances that might have been. The reader ends up caring for everyone–Welsh or German or English. To gain empathy for a large cast of characters, all of whom line up on opposing sides of the war, is no small feat. These vulnerable men and women, indeed, become the faces of war.”
–Washington Post

“The finest parahistorical fiction leaves heroes and villains behind and begins with humanity. Such is the case with Owen Sheers’ taut, beautifully observed first novel…. Sheers has already published two books of poetry, and Resistance further exhibits his artistry. It's not just a question of his tossing off textured, lovely or haunting metaphors but of making them resonate and reveal…. He also excels at something more magical: finding the true, often unexpected responses for his characters, Welsh and German…. Sheers emerges as a gifted storyteller who can meld the literal and figurative to stunning–and tragic–effect.”
–Newsday

“Owen Sheers plausibly presents the shudder-invoking alternate reality of Britain losing the Second World War…. A compelling book.”
–New York Daily News

"A beautiful, vital novel, about the paths that can lead to war, and out of it."
–Nadeem Aslam, author of Maps for Lost Lovers

“A remarkable work of speculative imagination. Sheers writes with an austere, bracing beauty perfectly attuned to the stark lives (and loves) of his characters. The result is that rare gift, a literary thriller whose pages we turn slowly, even regretfully, savoring every word.”
–Peter Ho Davies, author of The Welsh Girl

“Owen Sheers’ alternate history of WWII beautifully illuminates that which is unalterable: the power of love and longing, community and courage."
–Jennifer Vanderbes, author of Easter Island

“With its complex characters and arresting plot, Resistance is an irresistible read.”
–The Missourian

"Frighteningly convincing and dripping with heartbreak. This is an outstanding debut."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Absolutely wonderful [it's] both beautifully written, an exciting story and it really penetrates into the characters of the book.
What really stands out…is the beauty of the prose…. It's an extraordinary achievement for such a young writer.
It raises very strong questions about responsibility, about collaboration…it is one of those novels that really makes you think about issues… It's extraordinary to find this in such a beautiful and moving novel.”
–A Good Read, BBC 4

"A remarkable first novel…Resistance is at once a brilliant and sometimes frightening thriller, and a mature exploration of human blur and compromise."
—Guardian

"Resistance [is] an impressive debut and confirms Sheers as a writer whose talent encompasses a variety of literary forms."
—Observer

“Resistance is lavishly written.... Sheers’ realistic portrayal of individuals’ resistance–to the hardening of war and to the loss of a sense of self–make Resistance a debut glimmering with intrigue and promise.”
–Bookpage

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Nan A. Talese (February 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038552210X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385522106
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.1 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and very accomplished debut novel, March 11, 2008

By 

S. Barnes (UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resistance: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is an extremely powerful story set in the imagined backdrop of an invaded and Nazi-occupied Britain, from 1944 onwards... an alternative outcome for the Second World War which could quite conceivably have come true. After failed D-Day landings the German invasion begins in earnest on British soil and this story unfolds as the country gradually becomes another occupied territory of the Third Reich - herein lies its power and horror.

One morning, in one of the most remote valleys in the Black Mountains on the English-Welsh border, twenty-six-year-old Sarah Lewis awakes unusually late in the day to find her husband has disappeared. Suspicions are confirmed as all the women in the valley meet to find that all seven men in the valley have literally vanished overnight. The women fear that their husbands have joined an underground resistance group... and they are left to tend their farms, taking on the full heavy workload previously undertaken by the men.

Fear and mistrust envelops them when a German patrol arrives in the valley on an important mission, until an uneasy truce is formed from a mutual need for help during the harsh frozen winter months in this isolated valley of the Black Mountains. The men in the patrol are war-weary and glad of their respite from the fighting; the women are struggling with their workloads.... both sides have a tendency to forget that there is a war on, and this could be a very dangerous thing to forget indeed.

Owen Sheers (also poet) writes in a beautifully lyrical way, vividly bringing to life the Olchon valley. The power of the novel lies in its ability to shock, as the slow realisation gradually dawns that this outcome could have been the one to come true... An idea that stays with you long after turning the last page. I did hestiate before giving it 5 stars because I didn't find it quite as compelling a read in the first half, as in the second; the pace was slightly lacking. However, what it loses in pace it really does make up for in prose and description.

A good read for anyone. I'd especially recommend it for young students of the Second World War, if only to see the Nazi occupation of other European countries in a different light, and perhaps even bring their history more vividly alive.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Psychology of Acceptance, April 13, 2008

By 

David Island "Excalibur" (San Rafael, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Resistance: A Novel (Hardcover)

Perhaps the title is a bit misleading as suggested by NY Times reviewer Jess Row. The book is not so much about "resistance" in the classic WWII thriller mode -- no underground partisan night-fighters, blowing up bridges and rail lines and such -- but rather it is about the concept of resistance and the necessity of acquiescence in the face of tough choices. Sarah and Albrecht, the main characters are sane and lovely people, the kind of intelligent, sensitive human beings you wish all your distant relatives were. The other main characters are, for the most part, farm women neighbors of Sarah, in a remote, harsh, beautiful valley in Wales. Two or three of the 6 German soldiers are actually sensitive normal men. The novel is a fascinating hypothetical scenario of reversed history, the unimaginable German occupation of Britain in 1944.

The most gorgeous and heart-wrenching theme is a loving portrayal of community: sharing, helping, taking risks, sacrificing and giving to one's friends and neighbors during crisis, upheaval and loss. The isolated German soldiers participate fully in the developing communal saga in this tiny, cut-off community with the husband-less women. Not since Arturo Perez-Reverte's powerful women in "The Nautical Chart" and "Queen of the South" have we seen such backbone, ethics and power in fictional female characters.

What makes NOT knowing what happened to loved ones create a tenacious and fanciful set of explanations? Why do some people move quickly to adapt while others languish in the past remembrance? Why is "resistance" commonly thought -- improbably -- to be a masculine trait? The women in this book put a quick end to that idea. Sheers is a really good writer. He blends detailed and graphic narrative with sparse dialogue. He lets a reader see what is not said, and can paint a portrait of, say, a man and woman sitting on a stone wall, feeling the tension between them build. The denouement happens quickly, near the end of the book, by virtue of an idiotic act of vengeance by a minor and weak character, but through his cowardice, Sheers brings the story to a rapid conclusion.

The book jacket is quite misleading and inaccurate. There is no "traditional" love affair between Albrecht and Sarah whatsoever, only the suggestion of it, and there is no sex at all. The 2 principals don't even touch each other for the first 225 pages! What makes "Resistance" a good story? Ordinary people reconciling their hopes and dreams with reality, that's what. The dozen people who populate the story are you and me, down-to-earth and overwhelmed by their sudden, devastating and unwelcome fate.

Other reviewers are partly right: The prose is somewhat clunky, overwritten and overly detailed, and Sheers gets self-aborbed at times in a 2-page aside. There's too much about Bach and other insignificant trivia. Is Sheers a better poet than novelist? It's too early to tell, of course, but if any critic of "Resistance" were to pen his or her first novel as well as Sheers has his first in this story, then there would be little criticism indeed. "Resistance" is a good book, a compelling story. It's hard to put down, easy to pick up, and in the end I really wanted to know what happened to all those who remained behind as well as to Sarah and Albrecht, willing to them success against all odds as they fled. The last lines leave you wanting more.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good idea, good setting, but slow at times, March 11, 2008

By 

David W. Straight (knoxville, tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resistance: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is a promising debut novel. It starts with the assumption that the invasion of Normandy failed and that the Germans invaded England. This idea has been done before, but here, rather than a lurid Red Dawn approach, the setting is an isolated valley in Wales. Overnight, all the men of the village (all 7, as I recall) disappear one night, presumably to join a resistance movement, and leaving the women to cope for themselves. The women, who were not informed of the plan by the menfolk, adjust in a variety of ways.

If things had been left at that level, we could have a mostly quiet tale of deeply rural life in Occupied England. But the author also weaves in the story of George, a young man who is recruited for the resistance at the time of the first invasion threat in 1941. Then a German patrol led by Albrecht Wolfram enters the valley on an undisclosed mission. So the story becomes primarily that of the women and the Germans, with perhaps about 10% devoted to George and his leader. Eventually, the reason for the patrol is made clear, but in retrospect the reason seems a little far-fetched: I would have much preferred something simpler, more believable.

The author explains (through Wolfram) why the Normandy invasion failed. I don't think that there was any need to do this: the explanation comes at a time when you've either accepted the basic premise, in which case you don't need an explanation, or else you don't buy the idea, and the explanation doesn't help. Moreover, if you want to look at technical details, the Germans in 1944 lacked the means to carry out an invasion (which also requires huge logistical planning), so that whole aspect should have been left to the imagination and not explained. I am also not comfortable with the mindset that lets the Germans stay in the village rather than rejoining their unit. If Wolfram planned to remain in the village from the start, he certainly picked the right men for the patrol. But there isn't any indication that this was the plan, and in that case I would expect one or more of the Germans to try to return to their regiment rather than stay in the village. So there are some things here which do not feel quite right. But still--it's a quiet story, and the blood and gore of war is mostly remote. I suspect that most authors might try to sex things up--more heroic fighting and sacrifice. But the alternative here works very satisfactorily.