Broken Country

Author: Clare Leslie Hall
Genre: Fiction
319 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Synopsis
Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident.

As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become.

A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.

My review
Broken Country is an absorbing, character-driven story from Clare Leslie Hall. Part love story, part mystery, and part intimate character study, the novel is anchored by Hall’s elegant, emotional writing. She creates a vivid sense of place, and I could easily picture the farm, the small town, and the people who inhabit it. I don’t typically read romance specifically, so I appreciated Hall’s ability to stir emotion without tipping into melodrama. Her prose has a quiet, poetic quality, and her characters are the true heart of the story.

The novel unfolds across two primary timelines. Hall’s characters feel real, and the setting itself carries weight. I could almost feel the land and the underlying tensions simmering beneath the surface. This is a story less interested in spectacle than in emotional aftermath. At its core, Broken Country explores love in its many forms: the consuming intensity of first love, the compromises of long-term partnership, and the grief that reshapes everything after loss, especially the devastating loss of a child. Hall handles grief with restraint, allowing it to seep quietly into the narrative rather than erupt, which ultimately makes it more powerful. The novel excels at examining how people survive the things they never truly get over, how love can both sustain and destroy, and how youthful choices echo far into adulthood. The pacing is deliberate, and readers seeking immediate momentum may struggle early on. Those who remain patient will be rewarded with emotional depth.

At just over 300 pages, Broken Country is a relatively short novel. While this will appeal to many readers, the brevity contributed to some of my main criticisms. I wish the story had been given more room to breathe. There are several areas where Hall could have gone deeper, particularly the trial and certain character arcs, which might have allowed the emotional impact to fully land. At times, it felt as though the novel only skimmed the surface of what it was capable of achieving.

Despite these shortcomings, Broken Country is a beautifully written and worthwhile read. Hall’s talent is undeniable, and her prose left a lasting impression. I was deeply invested in the characters, though as a crime fiction enthusiast, I didn’t find the twists especially complex or surprising. Still, the novel’s emotional resonance and strong character work make it a compelling and memorable read!

My recommendation: beautifully written story and worth the read!