The Kicker of St. John's Wood Reviewed by the Left Coast Rebel

by the Left Coast Rebel

A few months back, author Gary Wolf contacted me in regards to his novel The Kicker of St. John's Wood. Gary found the Left Coast Rebel and thought that my sense of ethics and outlook matched his well, a sense and philosophy that is represented in his novels. He is particularly proud of The Kicker of St. John's Wood and sent me a signed copy to read and review at my leisure. Unfortunately, my 'leisure' has proved to be a bit longer than I would have wished - I apologize, Mr. Wolf, for the delay in my review.

I will begin my expose with the title. Let not the name, The Kicker of St. John's Wood confuse you, it relates to the main character of the story - an NFL kicker named Jayesh Blackstone who grew up in London's northwest district - St. John's Wood. Essentially, Jayesh Blackstone is a normal guy with an unusual talent for kicking pigskin. Perhaps it is Jayesh's 'everyman' characteristics that make him so likable from the start. He values his friends and his family, and although he has an incredible talent, is refreshingly down-to-earth. As the novel progresses, we find Jayesh unwillingly entwined in a grand-scale conspiracy, one that stretches far beyond the sidelines of the football field. This provides solid intellectual suspense for the reader, almost in a 'that could be me' sort of way.

Enter the year 2020 in the United States. Many of the post-modern trends that we see today exist - feminism, multiculturalism, race-identity, moral relativism, Western enlightenment replaced with primitivism. All have taken root in America. In fact, they have taken root to such a degree that it would shock even those today who are disgusted by such things. Jayesh Blackstone is thrown into this dystopia, despite his desire to just be left alone, when a politically-correct plot is put forth to force female players into the NFL (initially a female kicker replacing Jayesh). From there the plot deepens and extends to a much more insidious and in fact, disastrous conspiracy. For risk of committing an egregious spoiler-error, I will refrain from saying just what that is.

I summed up The Kicker of St. John's Wood on a notepad when I finished the book fairly recently. Here's what could be considered a synopsis from the Left Coast Rebel:

The Kicker of St. John's Wood is Gary Wolf's latest dystopian novel. In it, he expels the notions of progressive-liberal hierarchy, accepted as orthodoxy by the elite. These same notions that we see today as described above lead to the suppression of individual uniqueness and expression, free speech, and one's autonomy and liberty in general. Gary Wolf does a fabulous job of relating that to the story of The Kicker of St. John's Wood. Think of it as an updated Orwell set in the not too distant future. Gary Wolf then pulls the Orwellian sensibilities together with a softer modern edge seen through the lens of a very likable character.

All in all The Kick is a solid read, a solid novel, and contains a great lesson: A dystopian future for America? Let's hope not.

Be sure to check out Gary Wolf's site that he regularly contributes to here. You can order The Kicker of St. John's Wood here at Amazon.com as well.