- Published: 18 February 2021
- ISBN: 9781473581821
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 304
A Town Called Solace
‘Will break your heart’ Graham Norton
- Published: 18 February 2021
- ISBN: 9781473581821
- Imprint: Vintage Digital
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 304
There's a beauty and simplicity in her [Lawson's] stories set in small-town Canada
Nina Pottell, Prima
A lovely, gentle novel with edge, worthy of Anne Tyler
Saga
This is Mary Lawson's fourth novel and I'd recommend a binge immersion... Lawson has carved out a world in Northern Ontario that's vividly, absorbingly real; she captures tones and voices with exactitude in writing that's idiomatic but never flashy and carries you along from midnight to dawn, oblivious of the time.
Nooni Minogue, Literary Review
Poised, elegant prose, paired with quiet drama that will break your heart. The sort of book that seems as if it has always existed because of its timeless perfection
Graham Norton
Anne Tyler is a big fan of this Canadian author and so am I
Good Housekeeping
Mary Lawson writes with a pure simplicity... she has the God-given ability to convey the complexities of human nature in everyday language... It was only on a second reading that I came to realise quite how intricately plotted A Town Called Solace is: like a magician, Lawson hides her technique, and makes it all seem as natural as breathing... she possesses an instinctive feel for when to withhold information, and when to release it
Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
Lawson's books are a pleasure to read - they conjure a space where quiet reflection and owning your past mistakes bring gentle rewards; they feel kind and wise and brimful of empathy
Siobhan Murphy, The Times
Completely absorbing... A Town Called Solace pleases at every level. It's a captivating tale suffused with wisdom and compassion
Brett Josef Grubisic, Toronto Star
[In A Town Called Solace] doubts, difficulties and uncertainties of the human condition are examined carefully in a way that is both heartbreaking and joyful
Bridie Pritchard, UK Press Syndication
Subtle and darkly funny, this tender novel unspools the interconnected lives of her beautifully drawn characters, as they grapple with grief and loss, while steadfastly hoping for a change of happiness in the face of life's uncertainties
Eithne Farry, UK Press Syndication
Lawson's writing is such that it appears effortless but, as all the strands come together to create a rich and satisfying tapestry, her genius for storytelling becomes apparent.
Irish Independent
Beautifully written and so finely crafted; told in the kind of prose I most admire because it takes what appears to be complicated and makes it clear . . . These interwoven stories of three people at different stages of life, and yet each struggling with their own form of loss and grief, will stay with me the way good friendships stay with you. It's already one of my favourite books of the year
Rachel Joyce
[Lawson] writes an unpretentious prose that zings with metaphorical vim and humour
Tablet, *Summer Reads of 2021*
Lawson's writing is clear and emotive... In this poignant novel, rightfully recognised by the Booker judges, the steadfastness of children brings solace to lost grown-ups
Francesca Carington, Sunday Telegraph, *Novel of the Week*
Exquisitely poignant
Liane Moriarty, Good Housekeeping
You can't get much farther north than the Ontario of Mary Lawson's icy, compelling stories of calamity and redemption. A Town Called Solace keeps you breathless with anxiety, then relief and finally even joy
Ferdinand Mount, Observer
Close to perfection
Christina Hardyment, The Times, *Audiobooks of the Year*
A contemplative story about loss and regret, a slow burn of a read with a fire at its heart
John Boyne
It's already one of my favourite books of the year
Rachel Joyce
She has the God-given ability to convey the complexities of human nature in everyday language... Like a magician, Lawson hides her technique, and makes it all seem as natural as breathing
Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
A contemplative story about loss and regret, a slow burn of a read with a fire at its heart
John Boyne, Irish Times
Lawson's writing is such that it appears effortless but, as all the strands come together to create a rich and satisfying tapestry, her genius for storytelling becomes apparent
Irish Independent
The doubts, difficulties and uncertainties of the human condition are carefully examined in a way that is both heartbreaking and joyful
Scotsman
Subtle and darkly funny, this tender novel unspools the interconnected lives of her beautifully drawn characters
Daily Express
An absorbing novel
Sunday Express
Lawson has carved out a world in Northern Ontario that's vividly, absorbingly real... Carries you along from midnight to dawn, oblivious of the time
Literary Review
A Town Called Solace keeps you breathless with anxiety, then relief and finally even joy
Ferdinand Mount, Observer
Close to perfection
The Times
[An] absorbing novel
Sunday Express, *Summer Reads of 2022*