Becky's Great Book Reviews Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Poignant and beautiful, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall was devastating to read. Pretty early in the novel it's revealed that there's a death of a child, and the main character Beth puts it well when she says, "Everything was about Bobby, really, when you dug deep enough".

Having lived through the death of a brother when we were young, I know firsthand how it can affect every aspect and every member of a family. I decided to power on when the story took hold of me with its compelling storyline, setting, and characters.

Alternating storylines follow Beth, living in England: her teenage love affair with Gabriel and her current marriage in 1968 to Frank, with whom she has their child Bobby. When Gabriel and his young son Leo crash back into Beth's life just after the loss of Bobby, she finds herself drawn back to Gabriel. Although she loves Frank dearly, she partially blames him for what happened to Bobby and begins spending more and more time with Gabriel and Leo.

What follows is a complicated tale of love, loss and shocking, hidden secrets. The characters are studies both in selfishness and selflessness. Misplaced guilt leads to life-altering events. This sad story ends on a great note of hope, lest anyone be wary of reading it. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall gets four and a half stars out of five from me.