A photo of Mary Lawson, author of A Town Called Solace, side-by-side with the interview title, 21 Questions, on a blue and grayscale background.

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Interviews

‘J.D. Salinger changed my life’: 21 Questions with Mary Lawson

Mary Lawson's new book, A Town Called Solace

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Reading lists

Where to start reading Mary Lawson

The Other Side of the Bridge

Discover the author Graham Norton praised for her ‘poised, elegant prose, paired with quiet drama that will break your heart.’

Mary Lawson's first novel, Crow Lake, was loved by critics and readers all over the world; it was translated into 25 languages and published in 28 countries. It was a New York Times bestseller, won the McKitterick Prize and spent 75 weeks on the bestseller lists in her native Canada. Her second novel, The Other Side of the Bridge, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and selected for the Richard &amp; Judy Book Club. Road Ends, published in 2014, was described by the New York Times as 'tender and surprising . . . a vivid and evocative tale'. A Town Called Solace, published to critical acclaim in February 2021, was an instant bestseller in her native Canada. Mary came to England in the 1960s, and lives in Kingston-upon-Thames. 
 
www.marylawson.ca

**LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE** 
 
A powerful, heart-breaking story about tempting fate and living with the consequences 
 
Arthur and Jake are brothers yet worlds apart. 
 
Arthur is older, shy, dutiful and set to inherit his father's farm. Jake is younger, handsome and reckless, a dangerous man to know. 
 
When Laura arrives in their rural community, the fragile balance of the brothers' rivalry is pushed to the edge of catastrophe... 
 
'An enthralling read, both straightforward and wonderfully intricate' Guardian 
 
'Evokes beautifully the big joys and sorrows of most people, no matter how small their town' The Times

Road Ends

Discover this powerful novel about a family falling apart, from the Booker Longlisted author of A TOWN CALLED SOLACE 
 
'Tender and surprising... A vivid and evocative tale' New York Times 
 
Twenty-one-year-old Megan Cartwright has never been outside the small town she was born in but one winter's day in 1966 she leaves everything behind and sets out for London. Ahead of her is a glittering new life, just waiting for her to claim it. 
 
But left behind, her family begins to unravel. Disturbing letters from home begin to arrive and torn between her independence and family ties, Megan must make an impossible choice. 
 
'Every bit as good as I expected. A heart-aching and beautifully written story of a family falling apart' Woman and Home

A Town Called Solace

Set in the frozen north of Canada in 1972, this is a novel about childhood trauma, painful histories that need reckoning with and the moments in life when we can change for the better

**AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO FOUR** 
 
Set in the frozen north of Canada in 1972, this is a novel of painful histories and the moments in life when we can change for the better. 
 
Clara's rebellious older sister is missing. Grief-stricken and bewildered, she yearns to uncover the truth about what happened. 
 
Liam, newly divorced and newly unemployed, moves into the house next door and within hours gets a visit from the police. 
 
Elizabeth is thinking about a crime committed thirty years ago, one that had tragic consequences for two families. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies. 
 
**LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE** 
 
'I've been telling everyone I know about Mary Lawson . . . Each of her novels is just a marvel' Anne Tyler 
 
'Close to perfection' The Times 
 
'Exquisitely poignant' Liane Moriarty

It's already one of my favourite books of the year

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

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

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

The doubts, difficulties and uncertainties of the human condition are carefully examined in a way that is both heartbreaking and joyful

Subtle and darkly funny, this tender novel unspools the interconnected lives of her beautifully drawn characters

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

A Town Called Solace keeps you breathless with anxiety, then relief and finally even joy

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

There's a beauty and simplicity in her [Lawson's] stories set in small-town Canada

Anne Tyler is a big fan of this Canadian author and so am I

A lovely, gentle novel with edge, worthy of Anne Tyler

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.

Completely absorbing... A Town Called Solace pleases at every level. It's a captivating tale suffused with wisdom and compassion

[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

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

[Lawson] writes an unpretentious prose that zings with metaphorical vim and humour

Mary Lawson

Beautifully written, carefully balanced, Mary Lawson constructs a history of sacrifice, emotional isolation and family love without sounding a false note

Full of blossoming insights and emotional acuity...a compelling and serious page-turner

Lawson's evocative storytelling...knows just how to draw the reader on...this is a novel of disappointed hopes and self-delusion, but it has a feel-good finish. Move over Lake Wobegon

Mary Lawson

Praise for Crow Lake

Beautifully written, carefully balanced, Mary Lawson constructs a history of sacrifice, emotional isolation and family love without sounding a false note

Full of blossoming insights and emotional acuity...a compelling and serious page-turner

Lawson's evocative storytelling...knows just how to draw the reader on...this is a novel of disappointed hopes and self-delusion, but it has a feel-good finish. Move over Lake Wobegon

Beautifully written, carefully balanced, Mary Lawson constructs a history of sacrifice, emotional isolation and family love without sounding a false note

Full of blossoming insights and emotional acuity...a compelling and serious page-turner

Lawson's evocative storytelling...knows just how to draw the reader on...this is a novel of disappointed hopes and self-delusion, but it has a feel-good finish. Move over Lake Wobegon

Beautifully written, carefully balanced, Mary Lawson constructs a history of sacrifice, emotional isolation and family love without sounding a false note

Full of blossoming insights and emotional acuity...a compelling and serious page-turner

Lawson's evocative storytelling...knows just how to draw the reader on...this is a novel of disappointed hopes and self-delusion, but it has a feel-good finish. Move over Lake Wobegon

Books by Mary Lawson

Articles featuring Mary Lawson

‘J.D. Salinger changed my life’: 21 Questions with Mary Lawson

Where to start reading Mary Lawson

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