The Voices of Discontent (Paperback)

On the verge of committing suicide, Cecile, a middle-aged woman, suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, contemplates her life in Townsville, and with that of her husband, Alain - whom in hindsight she believes to have made a mistake in marrying. Cecile believes her marriage to be flawed because Alain is unsupportive of her artistic ambitions and her dreams of travelling. Compounding their mutual incompatibility is Alain's authoritarian mother, Eleanor, who stays with them in order to care for Cecile; but in reality, she undermines her son's marriage with her overpowering religious beliefs. Drawn into this marital melee is Julie, an old friend of Cecile's but the secret lover of Alain: the duo insidiously plan to profit from Cecile's death. In 'The Voices of Discontent', Clarke examines the effects of religion, disease, artistic ambition and adultery in an already unstable marriage, discovering that true love overcomes all of these obstacles.