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The Competition by Katherine Collette
A delicate tale about powerful emotions is The Competition. Although it is packed with life lessons, readers do not feel like they are being lectured; rather, their hearts and brains are opened. Reviews of books with ten excellent leads frequently highlight the value of the supporting characters as well.
But in Katherine Collette’s novel, the cast really takes centre stage. While the characters in her hilarious debut The Helpline were clearly defined, she has chosen a more subtle and nuanced approach to character development arcs in this second standalone novel.
In The Competition, Frances, Keith, Neil, and Judy all bear the weight of the opinions of friends, family, coworkers, and perhaps even the reading public at first. However, Collette leads both the viewer and her diverse cast of characters along a path of self-awareness, revealing that we all make superficial and frequently inaccurate judgments about other people.
Additionally, we see the awkward exchanges, defences, introspection, and eventually redemptive journeys of each character. The “dry and wry-smile” humour that peppers this book and the subtle “sunshine-through-the-clouds” moments when characters realise:
(1) the most weighty and anchoring judgements they carry are their own, and
(2) there is much more to life than winning.
This is not a quick fix sugar rush. The Competition by Katherine Collette gives readers an everyday, genuine feeling of well-being. A book that works best when you’re in a peaceful, reflective reading mood.
About The Book
In all honesty, Frances isn’t all that enthusiastic about the yearly national conference and public-speaking competition of SpeechMakers. She is genuinely thrilled about the fact that this year there will be a significant prize. Fourty thousand bucks would go a long way toward solving Frances’ little issues.
Frances’s mentor Keith, who it’s difficult to tell since she isn’t speaking to him, doesn’t like the prize money. Instead of self-enrichment, he believes SpeechMakers should be about self-improvement. But he wants to prevail in the contest. He believes that would be beneficial for his wife Linda’s circumstances. Neil is not at all concerned about the competition, but Judy, his mother and coach, is.
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.
The Review
The Competition
10 Score
The Competition is the second novel by Australian author, Katherine Collette. At the Brisbane SpeechMakers Australia Conference, which incorporates the National SpeechMakers Public Speaking Championship, Keith McDonald is an enthusiastic attendee (without wife Linda, who can’t think of anything more boring). Former president (six times) of Glen Iris club, and 36-year veteran, Keith is disturbed by the direction club taking, the excessive focus on finance, to the detriment of self-improvement.
PROS
- Unpredictable And Fast-Paced.
- A Compelling Intricate Plot.
- Relatable And Fun.
- Quirky And Original.
CONS
- Not Very Developed.
- Crappy Read.
- Very Disappointing.
- Lazy Plot.
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