I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Mary Lawson including A Town Called Solace, the setting for her new novel. She’s a superb storyteller, strong on characterisation. Winter in Solace is set in 1969, when a grieving widower rescues first a dog then a young man, a draft dodger, from an accident black spot on an icy road.
Chris made it over the border, having failed the scholarship that would exempt him from the draft, but fallen foul of the weather. After several weeks in hospital, he’s taken in by Jack for a long convalescence, overseen by the local policeman's wife. Happily married, Ellie’s dangerous winter boredom is filled by nursing this young man, concerned enough about his mental health to contact his friend back in New York. Patrick springs a surprise visit on Chris, rallying his spirits until Jack’s daughter Sally arrives, breaking up the celebrations, resentful, jealous and determined to put a stop to what she sees as skulduggery.
Lawson flits back and forth between Chris, Jack and Ellie in an immersive piece of storytelling which plunges her readers into a beautifully described backwoods Canadian winter. Her characters are engaging, flawed and entirely credible, their relationships handled with empathy and subtlety. The different stances of the US and Canada where draft dodgers were either welcomed or tolerated is underlined in a way which fits our own times well. Lawson’s epilogue mentions President Jimmy Carter’s unconditional amnesty, enacted on his first full day in office, which half those who’d crossed the border expecting never to return took up. Chris chooses not to leaving us to imagine the life he makes for himself. I’d love to think Lawson will make that the subject of a third Solace novel.

I have read all of Mary Lawson's books, so I was really pleased to receive an advance review copy of her new novel, Solace in Winter.
The book focuses primarily on Chris and his decision to leave America and travel to Canada in order to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. The winter setting in this small Canadian town is beautifully described, and I just loved Lawson's writing. Solace itself becomes a character in the story, with such a strong sense of place throughout the novel.
I was invested in all of the characters, and Lawson's writing really allows the reader to get inside each person's thoughts and feelings. I connected particularly with Chris, Patrick and Jack. I also liked how each chapter was told from a different character's point of view, which helped build a fuller picture of their lives and relationships.
The novel explores themes of loss, love, change, friendship, family dynamics and kindness, all handled with Lawson's characteristic insight and compassion.
I appreciated the additional historical information about draft dodgers included at the end of the book. I hadn't known about the decision made by the US government in 1977, when President Carter granted amnesty to many Vietnam War draft evaders, so I found that especially interesting.
This is a thoughtful and beautifully written novel that will appeal to both existing Mary Lawson readers and those discovering her work for the first time. This book is a 5-star read for me, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

A really beautiful and human story about what it means to connect. The writing was very easy to get lost in, as was the environment and background setting. I felt as if I knew the walls of the cabin, and knew the characters (especially Ellie and Patrick) personally. A perfect example of character driven storytelling with a beautiful message.

It is now many years since I read Mary Lawson's other novels yet as I began this book I was transported back to another world - winter in the Arctic conditions of small town Canada. There is something very special in the way the author curates her narratives. For me it is the combination of small settings within a much wider political and moral context along with a small cast of characters who we read and learn about within the context of their interactions and surroundings. We are either in the bitter weather of a frequently cut-off settlement or within a small cabin set up to withstand the elements.

I so admire this writerly skill which, from my perspective, Lawson sits amongst the best - Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Strout, Annie Proulx and Sherwood Anderson.

Set in 1969 we are taken back to the Vietnam War, American sabre rattling and populist disaffection with the war, protesting and fleeing over the North American border to Canada. At an accident hotspot, narrow roads, ice and snow we meet our protagonists. An American draft dodger (Chris), a bereaved older man (Jack) along with a dog and a vet who form the pivot of the story.

Being so enclosed and isolated drives the character driven novel and through their proximity to one another, truths are secreted and revealed by the intimacy of the setting.

I found it compulsive, realistic, thoroughly engaging and I did feel embedded in the "deep midwinter".

With thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK for the opprotunity to read and review

What a beautiful book, loved the characters and writing style. Being a big fan of this author I was delighted to read this and enjoy it just as much as previous work. A must read

Another amazing book by one of my favourite authors.
I will definitely be recommending and hand sell this title to my customers.

This gorgeous novel returns to Lawson’s fictional town of Solace in the 1960s. A remote outpost in the wilds of Canada, always beautiful but a freezing, snowy wasteland in the winter months and cut off from civilization for days at a time, some have tried and failed to endure the extreme conditions, and those who stay form a small, tight-knit community where news travels fast. Recent widower Jack happens upon two separate road accident victims quite by chance at the same blackspot- a farm dog whose owner is not prepared to pay for his treatment, and an American draft-dodger avoiding the Vietnam War which is killing and maiming so many of his contemporaries. Jack’s help saves both their lives and will irrevocably change his own and that of others. The characters are so real and their personalities so beautifully portrayed in all their emotions, quirks and motivations. Even characters whose actions are difficult to justify are treated sympathetically, so that we can glimpse the deeply felt moral code of Chris’s unyielding father and the bitterness of Jack’s daughter Sally who has never felt seen or valued by her parents and still feels passed over by her father. There is warmth and humour in everyday incidents and Solace itself is a vivid presence, both comforting and sometimes threatening. There is a lingering unease that this bittersweet interlude of fleeting happiness will have to end, but also a profound hopefulness prevails and the sense that things may not always stay the same, but change can come unexpectedly and for the better. I loved it.

I enjoyed Crow Lake many years ago so I was happy to come across Mary Lawson’s newest novel on NetGalley. The story is very much character driven with Chris, an American draft-dodger in the 1970s, escaping to Canada with his mother’s blessing. Taken in by the elderly Jack after a serious road accident, we follow Chris’ recovery in the depths of a deep Canadian winter. Mary Lawson builds her characters and their back stories with a deft touch and you are totally invested in their future lives. Very enjoyable.

*thanks to NetGalley, from whence I received an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own**

I selected this primarily from the title and cover. I love those cosy, northern settings and this did not disappoint. We see a multi-POV linear narrative which winds around the dual protagonists of Chris and Jack, who are very different but experience something of a meeting of minds.

My favourite element were the lush descriptions of the landscapes and the harshness of the remote village of Solace in the winter. I thoroughly enjoyed this; the writer demonstrated considerable craft in their world building and imagery. Highly recommend.

What a perfect book. Wonderful characters in an impossible position, mostly doing their best. A great big warm hug of book, but with a ending that prevents it from being too sickly sweet. After a run of not so great books this has made me fall back in love with reading - thank you!

Verging on perfect, this has a wonderful sense of place and some exquisitely well-drawn characters. Watching them orbit and interact with each other is an absolute pleasure, and there is also an excellent dog. Likely to be one of the best books I read this year.

This is a rare 5 stars plus book for me. Top quality writing and storytelling. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Set in Northern Canada in 1969. Recently widowed war photographer Jack is living alone in a cabin with his late wife’s artistic and valuable tapestries adorning the otherwise bare walls.
Across the border in the US, anti-Vietnam war demonstrations are taking place and university graduate Chris is desperate to avoid being drafted.

Every single character in this book feels real and relatable. In addition to draft-dodger Chris, and widower Jack who I would love to get to know better, there is a vet who doubles as a doctor, Karl, the only cop for miles who is married to Ellie, Patrick, Chris’ flat mate, and Jack’s estranged daughter Sally.

Even if this wasn’t such a great story, any book that starts with the rescue of an injured animal gets my vote. Not long after rescuing Lola the dog who has been run over and giving her a home while she convalesces, Jack finds Chris in an even worse state and reluctantly agrees to take him in too after the hospital discharges him. Ellie, a young mother and nurse, tends Chris every day while he’s on the mend.

The story takes place over one Canadian winter. The snow is falling outside and instead of feeling put upon, Jack begins to realize that he’s enjoying the company. Finding her father sharing his life and money with a dog and draft-dodger does not do anything to improve Jack’s already difficult relationship with his daughter Sally. Meanwhile, sexual tensions are developing and more than one person is unsure of Chris’ intentions.

“Strangers but not strangers, brought together by pure chance and finding common ground “

I didn’t want this book to end and felt quite emotional when it did. In fact, the first thing I did after finishing it was to order Mary Lawson’s previous Solace book which I haven’t yet read (shame on me).

Thank you for the opportunity to read Mary Lawson's new novel. I have never failed to love her work and this, is one of the best. She writes beautifully about place, in this case the small town of Solace in Northern Canada. Set in the winter she conjures up a spellbinding story of a handful of locals who come to the aid of a young American dodging the Vietnam draft in the 1960s. She shows both the worst and the best of humanity.
An ideal Christmas gift for the discerning reader and my choice for book of 2026.

Set in the remote town of Solace in 1969, the story follows Chris, a young American fleeing the Vietnam draft, and Jack, a recently widowed man whose quiet life is transformed after taking Chris and an injured dog, Lola, in.
The story is told from different characters' points of view, Each character feels authentic, even those with difficult flaws, and their relationships unfold naturally and emotionally. The descriptions of the snowbound landscape create a vivid sense of place, making the setting feel as important as the characters themselves.
I found this to be an emotional, well written novel that is both comforting and thought provoking. I would go so far in saying this that this is perhaps one of her best!

I'm completely blown away. What a beautiful and moving tale, filled with things I love.

I was instantly won over by Lola, of course, because she represents the heart of the story. The tale of finding love and family in the strangest of circumstances, and the fact it can come later in life, is a message that has been handled sensitively through a somewhat odd cast of characters - I especially enjoyed the waitress in her slippers!

The evocative landscape, the backdrop of the Vietnam War and Chris's reckoning with both a nation and a blood family he no longer feels part of - there are layers of meaning here that a reader not crying over a little dog with casts on her legs can delve into (yes, that is me). An incredibly powerful book.