Resistance is a novel by Welsh poet and author Owen Sheers

Owen Sheers

Owen Sheers is a Welsh poet, author, playwright, actor and TV presenter.-Biography:Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji in 1974 and brought up in Abergavenny, South Wales...

. The plot centres around the inhabitants of a valley near Abergavenny

Abergavenny

Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...

 in Wales in 1944–45, shortly after the failure of Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord

Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...

 and a successful German counter-invasion of Britain (see Operation Sea Lion), and a group of German Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 soldiers who stay there after the wives' husbands 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.

Owen's debut novel has been made into a screenplay scheduled for UK release on 25 November 2011. See Resistance (2011 film)

Resistance (2011 film)

Resistance is a 2011 Welsh film based on the novel of the same name by Owen Sheers. It is scheduled to have a UK release on 25 November 2011 .-Cast:*Andrea Riseborough - Sarah*Michael Sheen - Tommy Atkins*Kimberley Nixon - Bethan*Iwan Rheon - George...

The Hereford Mappa Mundi

Hereford Mappa Mundi

The Hereford Mappa Mundi is a mappa mundi, of a form deriving from the T and O pattern, dating to ca. 1300. It is currently on display in Hereford Cathedral in Hereford, England...

 features prominently in the book.

Plot

The novel features the invasion of a small welsh village near Abergavenny

Abergavenny

Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...

 by German soldiers, who've been instructed to locate and obtain an item for Himmler's collection.

Introduction

The novel begins detailing Sally's awakening to find her husband gone, with only the indent of his body in their mattress remaining.

Characters

• Sally Lewis, the protagonist, is 26 year old traditional farmer's wife, who in her husband's absence learns that she must fulfill his responsibilities in taking care of the farm. Initially Sarah is upset at her husband's and the other men's disappearances, however over the course of the novel she begins to accept to herself and to others that they may not be coming back.