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A review by me_alley
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book grabs you and slowly pulls you into a small country town and a collection of tragic, untimely deaths that will leave you reeling. This book is heartbreaking, but in the very best way, and you will no doubt hold your heart and sigh. EVERYONE IS GOING TO READ THIS BOOK. I am sure of this, it is going to be on every top ten list this year, everyone's book club pick, and a movie will be made, so you might as well add it to your TBR now.
The very symbolic beginning starts when a dog runs into a field of sheep and attacks the lamb, as it likely the dog's nature. The farmer shoots the dog to save the rest of the flock, and a 10 year old boy, Leo, cries out. Leo believes his dog has been murdered. Leo and his father Gabriel are new to the small country village in England after being in America, Gabriel is returning back to where he grew up after a divorce from Leo's American mom.
Small towns are where everyone is connected, and the farmer, Jimmy Johnson, has a close brother Frank and his wife, Beth. It turns out that Beth was Gabriel's first love, and they still have feelings for each other 10 years later. Beth and Frank have a good partnership, but one that has been racked with tragedy. Two years ago, Beth and Frank lost their son Bobby, who was Leo's age.
Gabriel and Beth become friends again, and Beth begins to look after Leo. She tells Frank that it helps her with Bobby, because no one else in her life will let her talk about her dead son.
I read this book in one sitting, it is historical fiction as it takes place mostly in 1968, but jumps back to 1955 when Beth and Gabriel and Frank meet, and jumps forward at the end to 1975 when the tragic events of the book have all run their course to a future of hope. The story sits with you for some time, and you consider what intimacy means. Can you be in love with two men at the same time? Can you love a child in the same way you loved your own? Can your relationships heal after losing a child?
If you have lost your only child, are you still a mother?
It will make you think about how you treat the people in your lives that have overcome loss.
Thanks to @netgalley an @simonanadschuster for the ARC. Book to be published March 4, 2025.
The very symbolic beginning starts when a dog runs into a field of sheep and attacks the lamb, as it likely the dog's nature. The farmer shoots the dog to save the rest of the flock, and a 10 year old boy, Leo, cries out. Leo believes his dog has been murdered. Leo and his father Gabriel are new to the small country village in England after being in America, Gabriel is returning back to where he grew up after a divorce from Leo's American mom.
Small towns are where everyone is connected, and the farmer, Jimmy Johnson, has a close brother Frank and his wife, Beth. It turns out that Beth was Gabriel's first love, and they still have feelings for each other 10 years later. Beth and Frank have a good partnership, but one that has been racked with tragedy. Two years ago, Beth and Frank lost their son Bobby, who was Leo's age.
Gabriel and Beth become friends again, and Beth begins to look after Leo. She tells Frank that it helps her with Bobby, because no one else in her life will let her talk about her dead son.
I read this book in one sitting, it is historical fiction as it takes place mostly in 1968, but jumps back to 1955 when Beth and Gabriel and Frank meet, and jumps forward at the end to 1975 when the tragic events of the book have all run their course to a future of hope. The story sits with you for some time, and you consider what intimacy means. Can you be in love with two men at the same time? Can you love a child in the same way you loved your own? Can your relationships heal after losing a child?
If you have lost your only child, are you still a mother?
It will make you think about how you treat the people in your lives that have overcome loss.
Thanks to @netgalley an @simonanadschuster for the ARC. Book to be published March 4, 2025.