Review: Poignant 'Speech Team' Emphasizes the Power of Words

You never truly leave high school.

In "Speech Team," author Tim Murphy's moving, nostalgic novel, four high school friends are reunited when they learn of the suicide of a classmate, who in his final words calls out one of their revered teachers and the traumatizing comments that seemingly scarred him for life.

Thomas 'Tip' Murray, the narrator, is a recently sober, forty-something gay man living in Providence with his partner, eking out a living as a writer for a nonprofit. Tip grew up and went to high school in a small Massachusetts town where he was on the speech team with Nat, Jennifer, Anthony, and Pete. When Tip learns of Pete's suicide, he immediately reaches out to Nat, with whom he has remained close friends since graduation.

Pete sent out a public farewell online, and Tip and Nat are struck by his deliberate mention of their speech team coach, Gary Gold, who spoke some unkind words that clearly left their mark. Tip confides to Nat that Pete wasn't the only one on the receiving end of Coach Gold's stinging remarks, so he tracks down Jennifer and Anthony to find out if they were all victims.

As the four former teammates are reunited, the author does an outstanding job conveying the unique dynamic among high school friends, who behave as though no time has passed despite having lost touch and distinctly remember both the good and bad times they shared like it was yesterday. Their mutual resentment for Coach Gold also reminds us of the enduring influence authority figures like teachers have during our formative years, and that time alone doesn't necessarily heal heartache and pain, but instead just buries them.

Seeking closure, revenge, or perhaps something in between, the foursome of former misfits decide to pay the now-retired Coach Gold a visit at his home in Florida, which is where the book begins before it flashes back in time to Tip first hearing the news about Pete. It should come as no surprise that things hardly go according to plan.

Murphy's earnest, admirable writing style, as voiced through Tip, is succinct and profound. Given the numerous cultural references from the era, he is clearly a child of the '70s and '80s, and fellow Gen Xers will revel in the walk down memory lane.

While the ensuing drama with Coach Gold takes place more recently, each of the characters' individual histories are captivating and enlightening. Since he's narrating, Tip becomes the most familiar to the reader and understandably garners the most sympathy. His behavior isn't always beyond reproach, which perhaps makes him the most relatable, and arguably the most likable.

"Speech Team" is an entertaining, gratifying novel about friendship, alliances, and a chilling reminder that (to quote Cher) words are like weapons that can wound sometimes.

"Speech Team," by Tim Murphy, is available now.