A TOWN CALLED SOLACE

by Mary Lawson

In her Booker-longlisted novel, Lawson gives us exactly what the title promises: a feeling of comfort, relief, or consolation that hits just right, especially when you’re navigating the heavy stuff like sadness or disappointment. Set in a quiet corner of Northern Ontario in the early '70s, it’s a gentle, intelligent story that completely envelops you in its world.

The narrative is candid and moving, told through three incredibly authentic voices: eight-year-old Clara, whose life is basically in a holding pattern while she waits for her missing sister, Elizabeth, an old woman at the end of her life,  and Liam, a forty-something man trying to figure out his.

Lawson’s writing is beautifully understated, gently cutting through to what’s essential. She goes deep into the messy quiet emotions of her characters, showing how they respond to grief and how they eventually find a way to make peace with what they’ve been handed. Exceptionally well-written and full of the kind of surprising currents of gossip, joy and harmony that make small-town life feel so real.