The Other Side of the Bridge

A beautiful read, on every level * Independent on Sunday *Like the great 19th-century novelists of provincial life, Mary Lawson is fluent in the desperate intensity of the small, individual dramas of respectable people - and she paints an eloquent picture * Sunday Telegraph *Evokes beautifully the big joys and sorrows of most people, no matter how small their town * The Times *Discreetly powerful * Daily Telegraph *This is a fine book - an enthralling read, both straightforward and wonderfully intricate * Guardian *A subtly-wrought affair of complex relationships, hard times and shocking events * Independent *Eloquent, thoughtful book…not only has Lawson fulfilled the promise of her first novel, she has surpassed it in a layered, complex story about emotional power shifts. Storytelling, not showmanship, dictates the honest, serious art of Mary Lawson * Irish Times *Lawson’s measured prose is good at communicating the warp and weft of communal life… Lawson’s quiet artistry has many virtues * Sunday Times *Beautifully observed with characters who are all realistically flawed * Scotland on Sunday *Lawson’s gifts are enormous, especially her ability to write a literary work in a popular style. Her dialogue has perfect pitch, yet I’ve never read anyone better at articulating silence. Best of all, Lawson creates the most quotable images in Canadian literature * Toronto Star *

Mary Lawson’s first novel, Crow Lake, was loved by critics and readers all over the world; it was translated into 26 languages and published in 29 countries. It was a New York Times bestseller, won the McKitterick Prize and spent 75 weeks on the bestseller lists in her native Canada.

Her second novel, The Other Side of the Bridge, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club.

Road Ends, published in 2014, was described by the New York Times as ‘tender and surprising … a vivid and evocative tale’.

A Town Called Solace, published to critical acclaim in February 2021, was an instant bestseller in her native Canada and was longlisted for the Booker Prize.

Mary came to England in the 1960s, and lives in Kingston-upon-Thames.

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