A Town Called Solace

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2021

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed thirty years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us, but shows that sometimes a new life is possible.


'I've been trying to tell everyone I know about Mary Lawson... Each one of her novels is just a marvel' ANNE TYLER

© Mary Lawson 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

  • 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

    Mail on Sunday

  • A contemplative story about loss and regret, a slow burn of a read with a fire at its heart

    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

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