by Clare Leslie Hall

• Historical Fiction
• Romance
• Mystery
• Emotional

I’d never heard of Clare Leslie Hall or Broken Country before it was chosen for one of my book clubs, so I really didn’t know what to expect. And wasn’t I surprised? I can honestly say this novel left me with very mixed feelings. I found myself struggling to root for any particular character, as the book is quite literally filled with flawed, complicated people.

The opening few chapters immediately pulled me in and started in a dramatic fashion, although one that I, and probably many other dog lovers, would hate: the death of a dog. Thankfully, the novel quickly moves on from this and develops into something much more complex.

The chapters are short and easy to read, making the book incredibly easy to fly through. It’s definitely the kind of novel you could find yourself reading in one sitting if you had the time.

The story follows Beth, beginning with her life as a young woman when she has a fleeting romance with Gabriel. Their relationship quickly develops into a passionate love affair, but their very different lifestyles mean that their summer romance eventually comes to an end.

It is Frank who is there to pick up the pieces. Together, they build a home and a family, creating a life that is very different from the one Beth once imagined for herself during that summer with Gabriel.

Years later, Gabriel returns to the small village, and Beth begins to question who she is, the choices she has made and the life she has built.

What I found particularly interesting about this novel is just how flawed all of the characters are. It’s difficult to decide who you should actually root for. There’s Gabriel, who is accustomed to a certain lifestyle and the belief that money can buy almost anything. Beth, who seems to spend much of the novel unsure of who she really wants to be. Frank, who is always there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong, while carrying the feeling that he can never quite be enough. Then there’s Jimmy, the drunken brother, alongside a whole host of other complicated characters.

The book is part romance and part mystery, with key details being kept from the reader until towards the end. There were certainly things I guessed along the way and felt quite sure about, but there were also plenty of moments I didn’t see coming. The final part of the novel was an absolute emotional roller-coaster.

At its heart, Broken Country explores the unyielding grip of the past, class conflict, the heavy weight of grief and the destructive power of a small rural community.

Overall, I found this to be an emotional novel with some powerful storytelling. Having been nominated for a number of awards, I can understand why it has received so much recognition, and I do feel the book is deserving of it.

I would recommend Broken Country to a wide audience, although I would definitely advise checking the trigger warnings beforehand, particularly for grief, child loss, animal death and affairs.