The Competition (Katherine Collette, Text) 

When 21-year-old Frances’s parents give her the ultimatum to find some direction in her life or find herself a new place to live, she decides to sign up for the National Speechmakers Public Speaking Championship. As a former high school debater, Frances thinks she will easily win the $40,000 prize money, which will go a long way to sorting out more than a few of her problems. Keith, Frances’s assigned mentor and a Speechmakers member for the past 36 years, doesn’t approve of the new direction the competition is taking and believes that Speechmakers should be about discipline and self-improvement, not money. However, he still plans on winning the competition, in an attempt to prove himself to his wife, thinking it might just be the key to getting their marriage back on track. In her sophomore novel, the author of The Helpline Katherine Collette has crafted a book centred around a collection of endearing but socially challenged misfits who need to let go of their less-than-perfect pasts in order to take control of their lives. Inspired by the author’s real-life experiences in Toastmasters, The Competition tells an amusing tale of ambition, friendship and redemption, with just a touch of romance. It will appeal to fans of heartfelt easy-reading books with quirky characters such as those by Graeme Simsion and Toni Jordan. 

Chloë Cooper is a writer, bookseller and library assistant in Meanjin. 

Category: Reviews