Resistance

by: Owen Sheers

Published by: Nan A. Talese

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

I’m not one much for alternative history, but Owen Sheers’ debut novel, Resistance, has received so much praise that I had to see what the fuss is all about. I’m glad I did. Resistance is based on the premise that D-Day failed and German troops are invading the British homeland. Churchill and the other members of Parliament have exiled to Canada.

Taking place in Wales’ Olchon Valley, the story begins with the valley’s men slipping off in the early morning hours as a band of resistance fighters. Sheers never actually says, but there is a strong hint that the men drugged their wives so that they wouldn’t wake and ask questions. When the women do stir, they learn they are alone and must manage their farms by themselves, so they band together to help each other.

Life is hard, but the women get by on working hard, supporting each other, and waiting for their husbands to return. Then a German patrol finds the women alone in the Valley, cut off from the outside world except for a radio that isn’t terribly reliable in its reception.

At first, the plot structure appears that the story will alternate points of view: the women and then the soldiers. But once the German patrol realizes they are as far as possible from the war, they shed their uniforms, lay down their weapons, and try to enjoy the peace they have found. The senior officer, Captain Wolfram, orders his men to aid the women with their chores and heavy tasks amid the harsh winter around their farms. Before long, they co-exist peacefully while still remaining cautious of each other. When winter melts into spring, the two camps must return to the harsh realities of the world.

Sheers is but thirty-four years old. An accomplished poet and nonfiction writer, Sheers blends a little known account of British preparedness with the possibilities of what could have happened should the Germans proved too strong. The natural world prevails and Resistance is more of travelogue and a love story than a history what if.

Armchair Interviews says: The ravishing ending will leave readers gasping for breath!

Author’s Web site: http://www.OwenSheers.co.uk/