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Dissolution (C. J. Sansom novel)
Encyclopedia
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 coast of England
.
The novel was nominated for two of the Crime Writers' Association
Dagger awards in 2003.
On the whole reviews have been complimentary:
The US Library Journal, however, takes a more negative view of the novel, commenting:
(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Memorial Dagger, for first books by previously unpublished writers.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.
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author C. J. Sansom
C. J. Sansom
Christopher John "C.J." Sansom is a British writer of crime novels. He was born in 1952 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was educated at the University of Birmingham, where he took a BA and then a PhD in history. After working in a variety of jobs, he decided to retrain as a solicitor...
. 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
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, it follows hunchbacked
Kyphosis
Kyphosis , also called roundback or Kelso's hunchback, is a condition of over-curvature of the thoracic vertebrae...
lawyer Shardlake's attempts to solve the murder of one of Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex, , was an English statesman who served as chief minister of King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540....
's commissioners in the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
at Scarnsea on the south coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The novel was nominated for two of the Crime Writers' Association
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
Dagger awards in 2003.
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; e.g. 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 have read this year" – Colin DexterColin DexterNorman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
; - "Remarkable...the sights, the voices, the very smell of this turbulent age seem to rise from the page" – P. D. JamesP. D. JamesPhyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, OBE, FRSA, FRSL , commonly known as P. D. James, is an English crime writer and Conservative life peer in the House of Lords, most famous for a series of detective novels starring policeman and poet Adam Dalgliesh.-Life and career:James...
; - "This is a humdinger of a whodunnit. Read it!" – Colin Dexter;
- "This is historical fiction at its finest." – Peter Robinson.
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 PearsIain PearsIain Pears is an English art historian, novelist and journalist. He was educated at Warwick School, Warwick, Wadham College and Wolfson College, Oxford. Before writing, he worked as a reporter for the BBC, Channel 4 and ZDF and correspondent for Reuters from 1982 to 1990 in Italy, France, UK and...
and Umberto EcoUmberto EcoUmberto Eco Knight Grand Cross is an Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose , an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies and literary theory...
, their caliber of writing is much higher than Sansom's." – Library Journal.
Awards and nominations
Dissolution was nominated for the 2003 Crime Writers' AssociationCrime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers Association is a writers' association in the United Kingdom. Founded by John Creasey in 1953, it is currently chaired by Peter James and claims 450+ members....
(CWA) John Creasey
John Creasey
John Creasey MBE was an English crime and science fiction writer. The author of more than 600 novels, he published them using 28 different pseudonyms, including Anthony Morton, Michael Halliday, Kyle Hunt, J.J. Marric, Jeremy York, Richard Martin, Peter Manton, Norman Deane, Gordon Ashe, Henry St...
Memorial Dagger, for first books by previously unpublished writers. It was also nominated for the CWA Ellis Peters
Edith Pargeter
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM , also known by her nom de plume Ellis Peters, was a British author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both...
Historical Dagger in the same year.
Publication history
- 2003, USA, Viking BooksViking PressViking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, ISBN 978-0-670-03203-7, Pub date April 2003, Hardback; - 2003, UK, MacmillanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
, ISBN 978-1-4050-0542-5, Pub date June 2003, Hardback; - 2004, UK, Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, ISBN 978-0-14-200430-2, Pub date April 2004, Paperback; - 2004, UK, PanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
, 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.