Northern Canada produces some truely gifted writers, and Mary Lawson is one of them. A Town Called Solace is my version of a perfect read and it’s likely to make my list of top 10 books of the year. If you love Anne Tyler’s masterful depiction of everyday people leading small-town lives, Alice Munro’s incredible handling of setting, pace, and tension, then throw in some Kate Atkinson surprise and suspense, this is the book for you. It’s the story of three people: seven-year-old Clara whose sister goes missing leaving her bewildered and grief-sticken; newly divorced and unemployed Liam who moves into the house next door; and Elizabeth, who is at the end of her life and desperate to make amends for a crime she committed in the past.
— Olivia