Frances quite honestly isn’t that excited about the SpeechMakers annual national conference and public-speaking competition. What she’s excited about (relatively speaking) is that this year there’s a major prize. Frances has a few small problems and forty thousand dollars would go a long way to sorting them out.
Keith is Frances’s probably-ex-mentor, it’s hard to tell since she’s not talking to him, and he disapproves of the prize money. He thinks SpeechMakers should be about self-improvement, not self-enrichment. He wants to win the competition, though. He thinks it might help the situation with his wife Linda.
Neil doesn’t care about the competition at all but Judy, his mother and coach, does. And Rebecca… Actually, what the hell is Rebecca doing here? Rebecca belongs to Frances’s past, not her present. And certainly not her (hopefully) less-disastrous future.
Katherine Collette, author of The Helpline, returns with another sharply observed comedy of manners and a cast of loveable underachievers, headed for self-improvement despite themselves. Collette, a writer, podcaster and engineer (now that’s an impressive resume), is back with her second novel The Competition, and it’s just as heartfelt, entertaining and warm as her debut.
Collette has a knack for bringing together a motley cast of characters — they are flawed, relatable, funny and real. This time, we follow Frances and Keith, who take turns narrating, alongside other hopefuls in the SpeechMakers public-speaking competition in Brisbane. Collette manages to turn a weekend long competition into a truly character-building experience for the protagonists. What’s more, it’s a gripping public speaking competition, filled with intrigue and drama bubbling under the surface. It transported me back to school public speaking competitions (especially the fear of impromptu speeches). But this competition really revolves around the community of those who are long-time lovers of public speaking. It’s competitive, of course, but the camaraderie and shared passion are also inspiring.
Collette writes with humour, candour and wit, and The Competition is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy stories of outsiders and misfits searching for their communities. It’s another entertaining read from Collette, who is carving her name in comedic fiction.
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