When a young Anglican priest, Reverend John Gore, is sent to a deprived area of his hometown, Newcastle, to ‘plant’ a new church, he is filled with enthusiasm. Partly this is due to his fervent faith, but Gore’s naive optimism also has political roots: it’s 1996 and the country is readying itself for long-overdue change.
Kelly turns Reverend Gore into an unsubtle symbol of the state of the nation. What’s more, an oft-cited working-class upbringing in a grim landscape of abandoned coal mines and union strikes, combined with a desire to do good and spread love, succeed only in making him a gratingly bland protagonist.
The people Gore meets in his new role are also burdened with significance. They include an ex-bouncer gangster with a penchant for the church, an attractive single mum struggling to make ends meet, an evangelical priest who is having more success with his church than Gore, and a New Labour MP. Through flashbacks, the plot
covers 20 years of its characters’ histories, painting a comprehensive portrait of Britain prior to Labour’s 1997 victory.
‘Crusaders’ is a novel of great ambition (and length), but sadly it disappoints. The dialogue is stilted and unconvincing, and the narrative voice struggles to engage the reader. Kelly seems more at ease describing the north-east’s changing landscape and many pubs than its inhabitants.
