The Voices of Discontent

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 Alains authoritarian mother Eleanor who stays with them in order to care for Cecile; but in reality she undermines her sons marriage with her overpowering religious beliefs. Drawn into this marital melee is Julie an old friend of Ceciles but the secret lover of Alain: the duo insidiously plan to profit from Ceciles 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.