A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson

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A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC Radio 4 - A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson, Episode 1

Clara sees a strange man in Mrs Orchard’s house as she watches for her missing sister.

Clara spots a strange man moving into Mrs Orchard’s house as she keeps watch for her beloved missing sister. In hospital, Elizabeth recalls the day she first met Liam.

The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario. Mary Lawson's book was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021.

Clara's sister is missing. Angry, rebellious Rose, had a row with their mother, stormed out of the house and simply disappeared. Eight-year-old Clara, isolated by her distraught parents' efforts to protect her from the truth, is grief-stricken and bewildered.

Liam Kane, newly divorced, newly unemployed, newly arrived in this small northern town, moves into the house next door, a house left to him by an old woman he can barely remember and within hours gets a visit from the police. It seems he's suspected of a crime.

At the end of her life Elizabeth Orchard is thinking about a crime too, one committed 30 years ago that had tragic consequences for two families and in particular for one small child. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the relationships of these three people brought together by fate and the mistakes of the past. By turns gripping and darkly funny, it uncovers the layers of grief and remorse and love that connect us.

Read by
Genevieve Gaunt
Susan Brown and
Alec Newman

Abridged by Florence Bedell
Produced by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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The tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a backwater town in 1970s Ontario.

Set in Northern Ontario in 1972, A Town Called Solace explores the tenderness and tragedy of everyday lives in a small backwater town.

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