Unnecessary Enemies–Overview
When reality collides with tradition, a young man must find the courage to find his truth.
In the early 1980s, in the small town of Benton, Mayson carries a secret he can’t confess.
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To his family, he’s a devoted son and sibling.
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To his church, he’s a faithful believer.
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To his friend Reanna, he's her best friend forever.
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To a community who identifies with his secret, he is one of them.
When his truth finally collides with his world, Mayson faces a crossroads between his faith and his identity—a choice that will forever change him and those he love most. Caught between a forbidden unrequited love he’s quietly held for years; Veronica, who loves him without knowing why he keeps his distance; A community group who believes to be his right choice, and a church that demands he choose sides, Mayson begins a journey that challenges the boundaries of love, loyalty, and belief.
A moving, character-rich story about truth, faith, and belonging, Unnecessary Enemies will resonate with anyone who has ever questioned where they fit in a world that insists on choosing for them.
Buy now to begin Mayson’s unforgettable journey of self-discovery, courage, and personal revelation.
Reviews & Commentary
A slow-moving, introspective look at Mayson… These surprising story arcs of secondary characters are where Unnecessary Enemies excels. We see characters around Mayson at interesting turning points in their lives, and we see them being tested, too. These are well-developed characters, so despite mentally screaming at characters at various times not to marry that person, not to tell that lie, not to get involved with that ‘job offer,’ etc., I found that the narrative leads readers to understand why someone might want to do so.
— The Fiction Addiction
Unnecessary Enemies tells a moving family story with a cast of well-developed characters and a truly unpredictable ending.
— Goodreads Reader Review
Editorial Notes
Dawnn B. Sommerville’s fascination with the intertwining of human behavior and relationships is paramount in this novel. She has a passion for the underdog in her writings. She stretches her mind beyond what is before her in order to better understand the motivation and background of each of her characters. Her observation of life, and what is seen on the surface as ordinary people, are her inspiration in creating novels that readers can relate to in real-world and beyond-natural experiences.
— Amazon Editorial Summary / Everand Listing
About the Author
Unnecessary Enemies (UE) is written with an understanding that life itself is a story of intersections, where faith and struggle, truth and silence, love and loss often meet in the same breath. The book reflects a deep sensitivity to the complexities that shape human experience, revealing how people from different backgrounds can share the same emotional truths. Through vivid storytelling and grounded realism, this author wants to build bridges between cultures, showing that pain, hope, and redemption are not bound by race, belief, or circumstance.
In Unnecessary Enemies, the commonality of many, some, and all is quietly revealed. In such a descriptive connection, the story unfolds through the voice of a white female narrator, telling the life of a Black male character — a deliberate and meaningful contrast that amplifies the book’s message. This dynamic was chosen to demonstrate that the pain, faith, and endurance of one person can cross racial and gender lines, resonating with anyone who has faced isolation, judgment, or the search for belonging. As Mayson’s journey intertwines with a diverse cast of characters from different walks of life, the novel reminds readers that our stories are never limited to who we are on the surface, but are bound together by the shared human experience of love, loss, and hope.