It's 1969 and in America young men are being called up to the Vietnam War. Those not wanting to fight travel up to Canada and seek a new life over the border.

In the small town of Solace, Jack is a widower, making do with a quiet isolation but this winter his life is disrupted by two accidents in quick succession. 

First he finds an injured dog, then he discovers a draft-dodger seriously hurt in a car crash on the ice and snow. 

After both receive treatment, Jack ends up turning his home into a place of rehabilitation, inviting in the policeman's wife Ellie to nurse the patient.

As the winter moves on, it's not just physical wounds that are healed and strong bonds are created between all the various visitors and residents in Jack's home.

Until his daughter Sally visits, that is. With her own grievances, it seems she's intent on disrupting the gentle, warm friendships that have sprung up. 

This is such a wonderful novel! I've always enjoyed Mary Lawson's writing and with 'Solace in Winter' she seems to have surpassed herself. The nostalgia, the isolation, the sense of community, and the snow. This is such a moving, immersive, life-affirming, escapist read. I loved it!