Book Review: A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson published by Knopf

Set in the fictitious northern Ontario town of Solace in September 1972, A Town Called Solace centres on three town residents--seven-year-old Clara Jordan, seventy-two-year-old Elizabeth Orchard, and thirty-four-year-old Liam Kean. With elements of mystery and romance and light touches of humour, the story explores how circumstances marry this cast of diverse characters. 

Clara

After fighting with her mother, Clara's sixteen-year-old sister Rose runs away. Clara maintains a silent vigil--willing her sister to return home. Very little drags Clara away from the living room window--just school and caring for the next-door neighbour's cat Moses.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a retired kindergarten teacher. Three years and eight months ago, Elizabeth's husband Charles died. After his death, Elizabeth moved from Guelph to live with her sister in Solace. Elizabeth's sister has since passed away. Solace is where Elizabeth befriends Clara--thanks to Moses. 

Unfortunately, due to heart problems, Elizabeth has to go to the hospital--leaving Moses behind to be taken care of by Clara.

Liam

Liam has recently ended his career in accounting and is newly separated from his wife Fiona. He has moved from Toronto to live in Mrs. Orchard's house. Why? What is he doing in that house? That's what Clara wants to know. 

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A Town Called Solace

Mary Lawson

Published by Alfred A. Knopf

Published in 2021

288 pages

long-listed for the 2021 Booker

Thrown headlong into the fascinating and familiar town of Solace, I read this book in big gulps. I loved every minute of my stay--up to and including the last page. I especially enjoyed the key role Moses plays in the story.

I'd highly recommend Mary Lawson's other books--Crow Lake and The Other Side of the Bridge--as well. I've yet to read Road Ends. Perhaps, I should be quick to correct this omission--especially in light of how I've enjoyed her other books. There are just so many books and so little time. 

Mary Lawson interviewed by Penguin Random House

The Promise by Damon Galgut won the Booker

How to watch The Scotiabank Giller Prize 

Monday, November 8. Tonight! 

On This Blog in November

photo by ldyck

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by Leanne Dyck

I finally took a nice selfie and I just had to share it with you.

Sharing My Author Journey...

Regardless of what anyone says, no one person, thing, or event is going to

Guest Post Author Alix Ohlin

Alix Ohlin's novel Inside (Knopf) and her story collection Signs and Wonders (Vintage) were both published on June 5, 2012.  She is also the author of The Missing Person, a novel, and Babylon and Other Stories. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, Best New American Voices, and on public radio’s Selected Shorts. Born and raised in Montreal, she currently lives in Easton, Pennsylvania, and teaches at Lafayette College and in the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.

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How/why did you start to write?

I started writing as a child.  I grew up in a house full of books, and reading was how I understood the world.  My Grade Two teacher, Grace Tugwell—I used her name in INSIDE, as a tribute—encouraged me to write special assignments outside of class.  I still have some of the things I wrote for her, like an illustrated fable that I stitched into a little book bound with construction paper.

How did you become an author?

After I graduated from university I began writing seriously, and secretly.  I thought I would cultivate my genius in private until I could spring it full-blown on the world with a series of brilliant stories in The New Yorker or something.  Eventually I realized it probably wasn’t going to happen this way, and I went to graduate school in creative writing instead.  There I began to publish my stories in literary magazines, and eventually got a book contract.

What was your first published piece? Where was it published? How long ago?

It was a short story published in Western Humanities Review, a journal in Utah, in 1998.  It was actually part of a whole book-length story cycle, but I only published one story from it.  I still have the acceptance letter framed.

What did you do before embarking on your writing career? Was it an asset to your writing? How?

I worked a variety of jobs, like editorial assistant at a publishing company, temp, freelance writer, bookstore clerk.  I learned early on to make time for my writing around a work schedule, which was helpful discipline.  And working in book publishing and bookstores taught me a lot about the business that helped me as a writer—mainly by making me grateful for the people who devote their lives to those fields.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by art museums, eavesdropping, gossip, family history, strong coffee, and the work of other writers both contemporary and classic.

Please share one of your successful author platform building technique

I don’t think much about platform building, but I do think about participating in communities of writers—both online and in person.  I believe in sharing ideas and offering support.  Maybe the best platform is to be a good literary citizen: be a reader, support independent bookstores and literary journals, be part of the conversation.

Parting words

Just because I’m excited about them, here are some recent books I’ve read and loved: Middlemarch, The Gate by Natsume Soseki, and The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner.

Author website

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Leanne Dyck discusses Inside