From the publisher: Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so emotionally pitch perfect, you know from the opening page that this is the real thing—a literary experience in which to lose yourself, by an author of immense talent.

Mary Lawson is a new favorite author of mine; I found her work through my husband Will, who just happened to pick up her award-winning debut Crow Lake at our favorite local used book sale. He loved it, and passed it to me. Now I'm making my way through everything she's written—and was thus delighted to discover that not only does she have a new book out, but it was longlisted for the Booker Prize! This short novel examines disappointed hopes and disappointing families, and ponders how through love, forgiveness, and friendship we might patch together a meaningful life and grasp a glimmer of redemption. Highly recommended for fans of Ordinary Grace.

I’ve been making my way through Mary Lawson’s backlist. She excels at slice of life novels and here the focus is on two generations of farmers in Ontario: brothers Arthur and Jake in the 1930s who are torn apart when a new woman comes to town and Ian, part of the next generation in the 1950s. Lawson doesn’t shy away from depicting sibling rivalry or just how far obsession can go. This was brutal and hard but it was wonderfully written and I want to talk about it.