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A review by deedireads
A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Town Called Solace is a quick read that manages to cover heavy topics while also feeling comforting. The plot is a big formulaic, but I enjoyed it.
For you if: You like books with multiple narrators and nonlinear timelines.
FULL REVIEW:
A Town Called Solace is my first read by Mary Lawson, thanks to the 2022 Booker Prize longlist. And while the plot did feel a little Hallmark Movie-ish (which, on the flip side, actually makes this a much more approachable novel than most Booker books), I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.
The book has three main characters, all of whom get POV chapters: A young girl named Clara, whose older sister ran away and is missing; her elderly neighbor, Elizabeth (aka Mrs. Orchard), who is in the hospital; and a young man named Liam who’s staying in Mrs. Orchard’s house. I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice to say that we learn a lot more about these three characters, especially how Liam and Mrs. Orchard’s lives once intersected. The plot builds to a big reveal at the end.
What impressed me about this book was how cozy it felt while also dealing with some whopping heavy themes — chronic miscarriage and infertility, for one (that’s not a spoiler, but it is a trigger warning), and a missing teenager/sister, for another. It also somehow feels almost quiet AND like a page-turner (I read it in one day). As we discussed at book club, we can see why people compare Mary Lawson to Anne Tyler.
Overall, most of us agreed that we enjoyed it, even if it sometimes felt too tidy or formulaic. Sometimes we litfic readers just need something less taxing to sink into!
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Town Called Solace is a quick read that manages to cover heavy topics while also feeling comforting. The plot is a big formulaic, but I enjoyed it.
For you if: You like books with multiple narrators and nonlinear timelines.
FULL REVIEW:
A Town Called Solace is my first read by Mary Lawson, thanks to the 2022 Booker Prize longlist. And while the plot did feel a little Hallmark Movie-ish (which, on the flip side, actually makes this a much more approachable novel than most Booker books), I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.
The book has three main characters, all of whom get POV chapters: A young girl named Clara, whose older sister ran away and is missing; her elderly neighbor, Elizabeth (aka Mrs. Orchard), who is in the hospital; and a young man named Liam who’s staying in Mrs. Orchard’s house. I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice to say that we learn a lot more about these three characters, especially how Liam and Mrs. Orchard’s lives once intersected. The plot builds to a big reveal at the end.
What impressed me about this book was how cozy it felt while also dealing with some whopping heavy themes — chronic miscarriage and infertility, for one (that’s not a spoiler, but it is a trigger warning), and a missing teenager/sister, for another. It also somehow feels almost quiet AND like a page-turner (I read it in one day). As we discussed at book club, we can see why people compare Mary Lawson to Anne Tyler.
Overall, most of us agreed that we enjoyed it, even if it sometimes felt too tidy or formulaic. Sometimes we litfic readers just need something less taxing to sink into!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Miscarriage
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
Minor: Rape and Toxic relationship