A Question of Integrity

A Question of Integrity
By Susan Howatch
Warner Books. 680 pages. £5.99
ISBN 0 75155 2280 5

On a chilly winter evening, what better relaxation than to curl up on the sofa with a stonking good novel? Susan Howatch's latest, A Question of Integrity, will not disappoint.
The book falls loosely within the 'Glamorous Powers' series, but no previous acquaintance with the characters is required. They speak for themselves (and how!) as one by one they take up the narration, each with his or her distinct voice.
The setting is an Anglican (high church) healing centre in London in the 1980s. Most EN readers may find themselves somewhat unsympathetic to some of the views expressed by the characters on, for example, women and the priesthood, homosexuality, divorce. But what makes this very much a Christian novel is the acceptance of the reality of a spiritual struggle, of the wrestling with principalities and powers.
The characterisation is excellent. The reader gets well and truly acquainted with each of the protagonists: poor overweight Alice, irritable Lewis, charismatic Nicholas, do-anything-for-you Francis, etc. None of the characters is quite what he or she first appears, and through them, Howatch explores the complexities of motivation and the human capacity for self-deceit. But there is action as well as thought and dialogue, and the plot takes many a twist and turn before the ultimate dramatic climax.
The reader will emerge from this story with a heightened awareness of the dangers inherent in Christian ministry. If that makes us pray more for our leaders, that will be no bad thing.

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