Resistance (Sheers novel)

Resistance is a 2007 alternative history novel by Welsh poet and author Owen Sheers. The plot centers on the inhabitants of a valley near Abergavenny in Wales in 1944–45, shortly after the failure of Operation Overlord and a successful German counterinvasion of Great Britain. A group of German Wehrmacht soldiers stay there after men leave to serve in the covert British Resistance. The novel follows abandoned farmer's wife Sarah Lewis and German commanding officer Albrecht Wolfram, as they form an unlikely relationship in spite of their backgrounds and political standings.

Resistance
First edition cover
AuthorOwen Sheers
Cover artistJohnny Ring
LanguageEnglish
GenreRomantic, alternate history
PublisherFaber and Faber Limited
Publication date
2007
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages357
ISBN978-0-571-22964-2 (first edition, hardback)

The novel was adapted for film in 2011.

The Hereford Mappa Mundi features prominently in the book.[1]

Plot

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Upon her husband's disappearance, Sarah is forced to take care of the farm. Meanwhile, she develops a relationship with German commanding officer Albrecht Wolfram as he and the other invaders seek to locate an item for Himmler's collection.

Characters

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  • Sarah Lewis, the protagonist, is a 26-year-old farmer's wife, who learns that she must fulfill his responsibilities of taking care of the farm in her husband's absence. Sarah, initially upset at the disappearance of her husband and the other men, begins to accept to herself and others that they may not return over the course of the novel.

References

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  1. ^ Paul Binding (15 June 2007). "Resistance, by Owen Sheers – Reviews, Books – The Independent". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2008.