The Voices of Discontent

On the verge of committing suicide Cécile 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. Cécile 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 Cécile's but the secret lover of Alain: the duo insidiously plan to profit from Cécile'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.