Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson

Blurb from Goodreads

Longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize

A Town Called Solace–the brilliant and emotionally radiant new novel from Mary Lawson, her first in nearly a decade–opens on a family in crisis: rebellious teenager Rose been missing for weeks with no word, and Rose’s younger sister, the feisty and fierce Clara, keeps a daily vigil at the living-room window, hoping for her sibling’s return.

Enter thirtyish Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, where he promptly moves into the house next door–watched suspiciously by astonished and dismayed Clara, whose elderly friend, Mrs. Orchard, owns that home. Around the time of Rose’s disappearance, Mrs. Orchard was sent for a short stay in hospital, and Clara promised to keep an eye on the house and its remaining occupant, Mrs. Orchard’s cat, Moses. As the novel unfolds, so does the mystery of what has transpired between Mrs Orchard and the newly arrived stranger.

Told through three distinct, compelling points of view–Clara’s, Mrs. Orchard’s, and Liam Kane’s–the novel cuts back and forth among these unforgettable characters to uncover the layers of grief, remorse, and love that connect families, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we choose. A Town Called Solace is a masterful, suspenseful and deeply humane novel by one of our great storytellers.

Why I Want To Read It

A new day, a new week! Happy last Monday of September everyone! Time sure does fly fast and before we realize it, we are already about to enter the last quarter of the year. But before the year ends, I hope you get what you have worked hard for during the year. I hope you get repaid a-hundred fold for your endeavors. More importantly, I hope you are all happy and are doing well, in mind, body and spirit. The pandemic sure is testing us and our patience but I know in time we will start to see the finish line. I am fervently praying that this pandemic will end soon.

With Monday is another Goodreads Monday update. This past few weeks, I have been immersing in literary works nominated for the 2021 Booker Prize. I am already done four books and I am currently reading Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle. I do have my hands tied as I have about three more books in line, with the hopes of reading all 13 books before the year ends. However, I am featuring a book that I have yet to obtain, Mary Lawson’s A Town Called Solace. 

I would have not previously encountered Mary Lawson nor have I read any of her works. Thanks to the Booker Prize, I was introduced to a new name. I do admit, the book’s longlisting was my primary reason for adding the book to my reading list. The first time I encountered the book, the first title that my mind associated it with was Nevil Shute’s A Town Called Alice but it was just my mind playing tricks with me I guess. HAHA. At less than 200-pages long, this does sound like a quick but immersive read.

The novel missed out on the shortlist but I am still looking forward to it. For now, my main concern is gaining a copy of the book. How about you fellow reader? Which 2021 Booker Prize longlisted novel is on your reading list? What made you add it to your list? I hope you could share your answers in the comment box. For now, have a happy Monday!

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