Town Called Solace

 by Mary Lawson

I read Crow Lake by this author a few years ago and really enjoyed it.

This book certainly did not disappoint.  It was a touching book with very interesting characters.

The story features three main characters, a young girl Clara, her elderly neighbour Mrs. Orchard and a 30 something recent divorcee named Liam Kane.

Clara is very upset, her older sister has run away from home.  She is also worried about her neighbour Mrs. Orchard.  Clara has been going into Mrs. Orchard's house to feed her reclusive cat.  Clara is upset when she sees a young man enter the house and start packing some of Mrs.Orchard's things.  Mrs. Orchard has died but her parents don't tell her this.  Liam and she become friends but Liam tells her she can only be in the living room so her parents can see her through the window, so they don't suspect him of anything.

The stories develop through the course of the book, some of the chapters are about Mrs. Orchard who is dying in the hospital, some about Clara and her family and some about Liam.  We find out that Liam has recently divorced and quit his job.  Mrs. Orchard had looked after him as a young boy and loved him so much she tried to kidnap him from his parents.  As she is dying Mrs. O. finally takes responsibility for what she did and the people she hurt, including her husband.

Liam has come to the town preparing to get the house fixed up and put on the market.  He soon meets a local repair man who puts him to work in return for doing repairs on the house and later starts to pay him. He starts what he thinks is a temporary relationship with the local librarian.

Clara's sister is eventually found in Toronto, a victim of traffickers.  The sister is devastated by the experience.

It sounds like a simple story but she did a great job of portraying the characters and very gradually giving us glimpses of their lives.  I am looking forward to reading some of her other works.