The Speech

by Gabrielle Gouch

Inspired by the life of a real person, this is a story of brilliance and insanity and how one man's fate impacts on three generations. A tale of love and loss set against the background of politics and the machinations of bureaucracy.
Clara, a naive young woman, leaves her native Amsterdam to live with Peter in Australia. They are happy, but slowly, imperceptibly, change creeps in. It builds up, their love turns to ruins.
Separated and with a young daughter who adores her father, Clara is faced with agonizing choices. The contrast between her personal struggles and the concerns of the people around her - career bureaucrats who design services for the vulnerable - could not be more farcical.
How does Clara navigate through her web of circumstance? What happens when her decisions escape from the personal and become wide-ranging?
A thought-provoking story about facing complex moral dilemmas.

300 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2021

About the author

I was born in Transylvania. I never met Dracula or even heard about him until I emigrated to Sydney Australia (via Israel).

Life in such disparate countries, under such disparate political systems - communism and capitalism - have given me plenty of material for my writing.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gabrielle Gouch positions herself as one of Australia's finest authors with this exquisite and sensitive novel.

Concealed beneath its engaging storyline lies a subtle expose of the public sector's administration of vulnerable people that must surely resonate amongst its myriad former and current employees.

Her prose is a pleasure to read, quickening the senses so that the reader is transported through time and space, offering virtual participation in its sumptuous riches.

And as time travelling could not be more important during this Covid 19 period of sensory deprivation, I heartily the book as both an effective antidote and a sobering indictment on bureaucracy.

[Maria Gal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, and sometimes unsettling novel about a young woman’s journey through life’s unexpected and at times heart-breaking phases. We are told that the novel was inspired by the life of a real person, so it is all the more confronting and gripping. I think this story would make an excellent movie script, given the characters are real, well developed and relatable. Gabrielle’s novel will stay with me for a long time.

[Yossi Leitner · Rating 4 out of 5]

"THE SPEECH" GABRIELLA GOUCH's second book realistically depicts the experiences of a young woman who starts a family with a partner who is later revealed to be mentally ill. From that moment the reality changes and the book follows the process with immense sensitivity and with chilling upheavals. On the one hand the mother who works as civil servant and her daughter who reveals the history of the family and on the other hand the high politics that penetrates all the capillaries of the protagonist in surprising upheavals.
Although the writer is Australian, the story is universal, thought-provoking as well as causing a deep disgust from the political and governmental systems. The book is superbly written especially after the first pages where we are only introduced to the Characters The end of the book is clever, surprising and touching .

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about life decisions and the consequences. Some good and others not so good. How actions affect others with unintended results. This story describes a person who works hard to do the right thing but is doomed to struggle and not achieve what they want. A compelling read as the story unfolds and each turn of the plot takes an unexpected turn.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is the story of Clara, her romantic love and new life in Australia with many dramatic twists and turns . The characters linger long after you’ve read the last page.

A moving and enjoyable read.

[Tuvia Csaky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is brilliantly written. It is elegantly dealing with the mirad of happiness, sadness, hopefulness, loneliness and helplessness of the main character of the story. In addition it describes vividly the dark and painful issues of mental disease, the effect on any person affected by it the suffering being caught in the down spiral, as well as has describing the pain of the family and friends which were caught up in this situation.
In parallel, a sad and humerous view of the work of the public service is painted in the pages of this book accompanied by a clear message proclaiming that the public service should be there to serve the people and not their political masters.
I must commend the author for bringing this story to light.