A Town Called Solace

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

[An] absorbing novel

Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express

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