UNITED KINGDOM
The Big Issue
Tory rebel Nadine Dorries on the Catholic Church’s reaction to her book – and why she regrets supporting the bedroom tax
Tory outsider Nadine Dorries claims a Catholic conspiracy is targeting her for “attack” because of the contents of her debut novel.
The book, The Four Streets, includes a storyline of a Catholic priest abusing a young girl in 1950s Liverpool.
It was a particularly vitriolic review of The Four Streets in the Daily Telegraph that lead Dorries to her claim. Critic Christopher Howse – a former member of the hard-line Roman Catholic grouping Opus Dei – described it as “the worst novel I’ve read in 10 years”.
He was brought in, Dorries told The Big Issue, because the original review wasn’t tough enough on her.
“The Telegraph commissioned someone to review my book,” Dorries said. “It was a lovely review. They didn’t like it so they got someone from Opus Dei to review it.
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