Everything about Dissolution C J Sansom Novel totally explained
Dissolution is a
crime novel by
British author
C. J. Sansom. It is Sansom's first published novel, released in
2003, and the first in the Matthew Shardlake series. Set in the 16th Century during the
dissolution of the monasteries, it follows
hunchbacked lawyer Shardlake's attempts to solve the murder of one of
Thomas Cromwell's commissioners in the
monastery at Scarnsea on the south cost of
England.
The novel was nominated for two of the
Crime Writers' Association Dagger awards in 2003.
Plot introduction
It is 1537, a time of revolution that sees the greatest changes in England since
1066.
Henry VIII has proclaimed himself
Supreme Head of the Church. The country is waking up to savage new laws, rigged trials and the greatest network of informers it has ever seen. And under the orders of Cromwell, a team of commissioners is sent throughout the country to investigate the
monasteries. There can be only one outcome:
dissolution.
But on the
Sussex coast, at the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control. Cromwell's commissioner, Robin Singleton, has been found dead, his head severed from his body. His horrific murder is accompanied by equally sinister acts of sacrilege – a black
cockerel sacrificed on the church alter, and the disappearance of Scarnsea's Great
Relic.
Matthew Shardlake, lawyer and long-time supporter of
Reform, has been sent by Cromwell into this atmosphere of treachery and death, accompanied by his loyal assistant Mark. His duty is to discover the truth behind the dark happenings at Scarnsea.
Literary significance and reception
Dissolution has been well received by critics, fellow crime writers and the public alike, although there has been some criticism of the language and detail in the writing:
"'Lay off the weather!' I feel like yelling at Sansom at regular intervals. And he hasn't really got the 'show not tell' rule; for example in Dissolution: 'As I passed down Ludgate Hill, I noticed a stall brimming with apples and pears and, feeling hungry, dismounted to buy some.' Drop the 'feeling hungry', please. Why else would you?" – Natalie Bennett.
On the whole reviews have been complimentary:
» "The best crime novel I've read this year" –
Colin Dexter;
"Remarkable...the sights, the voices, the very smell of this turbulent age seem to rise from the page" –
P. D. James;
» "This is a humdinger of a whodunnit. Read it!" – Colin Dexter;
The US Library Journal, however, takes a more negative view of the novel, commenting:
» "However, his novel is unrelentingly grim in tone, as the reader is forced to plod along with Shardlake and the other mostly unlikable characters. Although the novel can be superficially compared with the historical mysteries of
Iain Pears and
Umberto Eco, their caliber of writing is much higher than Sansom's." – Library Journal.
Awards and nominations
Dissolution was nominated for the 2003
Crime Writers' Association (CWA)
John Creasey Memorial Dagger, for first books by previously unpublished writers. It was also nominated for the CWA
Ellis Peters Historical Dagger in the same year.
Publication history
- 2003, USA, Viking Books, ISBN 978-0-670-03203-7, Pub date April 2003, Hardback;
- 2003, UK, Macmillan, ISBN 978-1-4050-0542-5, Pub date June 2003, Hardback;
- 2004, UK, Penguin Books, ISBN 978-0-14-200430-2, Pub date April 2004, Paperback;
- 2004, UK, Pan, ISBN 978-0-330-41196-7, Pub date August 2004, Paperback;
- 2007, UK, Macmillan Digital Audio, ISBN 978-0-230-52911-3, Pub date August 2007, Audiobook.
Further Information
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