Saturday 1 May 2021

Mary Lawson

She threw out a bottle of perfume the twins had given her for Christmas one year, the name of which - Ambush - had made her father laugh out loud ...

A new novel by Mary Lawson is always a pleasure. Like Anne Tyler she writes about families out of step with each other and her literary landscape is always Northern Ontario in Canada. I’m re-reading Mary Lawson’s three earlier novels before I start A Town Called Solace.

My favourite Road Ends was published in 2015 and its snowy setting is the fictional town of Struan.  The novel has a warm beating heart, largely in the form of Megan the eldest daughter of a mother who can’t stop having babies and then losing interest in them when they become children.  The eldest brother Tom is struggling to cope with the suicide of his friend and instead of using his degree he opts to drive the town snowplough.  Some of the most vibrant scenes in the novel are Tom struggling to get the ancient ‘headache yellow’ snowplough to start and then rumbling down the roads of Struan with ‘the new snow flying off the blade of the plough in a great soft arc.’

Megan has the household pretty much buttoned down, cooking, cleaning, laundry, organising her mother, keeping her younger brothers under control and loving and caring for her smallest brother Adam. It is when she decides to leave for London that this outwardly respectable but deeply troubled family start to fall apart. The dopey mother and wilfully blind father can’t seem address the benign neglect of little Adam but as Lawson weaves their narratives together you begin to understand the reasons for their behaviour.

Lawson is wonderful on the London of the late 1960s and 21 year old Megan’s experiences as an outsider in the world of Mick Jagger, bedsits, mini skirts, Carnaby Street and sexual freedom. I am looking forward to starting A Town Called Solace.

Anyone else vaguely remember a perfume by Dana called Ambush

9 comments:

Cath said...

I've only read Mary Lawson's first book, Crow Lake, which I loved at the time but didn't lead me to read any more. Sounds like I might like Road Ends.

Mary said...

I remember Tabu - which probably doesn't help!

Nadia said...

I've never heard of Mary Lawson until now. Thank you for sharing about these books. I'm definitely interested in reading Road Ends.

Lark said...

I'm not familiar with this author, or with any of her books. I'll have to see if my library has any of her books. Happy reading! :)

Kat said...

An inspiring review! I have never heard of Mary Lawson and am thrilled by the prospect of a Canadian Anne Tyler. I'll have to see if her books are availabe here.

Vintage Reading said...

Cath yes I think you would like it.

Mary, oh yes Tabu! Dana picked some good names for their fragrances.

Bookish,I think she is as good as Anne Tyler or Marilynne Robinson.

Lark please post a review if you do read her!

Kat, there seems to be a trend for calling young writers the new Anne TyleR. Mary Lawson is a mature writer and the real deal!

Simon T (StuckinaBook) said...

Like Cath, I read and loved Crow Lake years ago, but somehow never read another - I've got her second, and didn't realise there were another couple. Thanks for the prompt to pick her up again.

Vintage Reading said...

Simon, yes Lawson is a great writer.


Simon T (StuckinaBook) said...

And I finally read The Other Side of the Bridge and loved it! Must get to the others.