Book Club Questions for Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

This post contains links to products that I may receive compensation from at no additional cost to you. View my Affiliate Disclosure page here.

Book club questions for Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall covers all the key developments and reveals in this sweeping story. There will be spoilers so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.

As I mentioned in my review, I liked this novel, but I was as enthralled as most people are with it. I don’t know if it was a result of reading too many heavy books in a row, but I just thought the constant tragedy aspect was tough to read at times.

But at the same time, I was so curious where the story would go, and it did keep my interest.

Let me know what you thought about the book in the comments section below!

The 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.

Book Club Questions for Broken Country

1. What does the title Broken Country mean in relation to the story as a whole? How much of a role did the setting play in this novel?
2. Let’s talk about Beth first. Did you sympathize with her? Were you frustrated with her decisions? What are your overall thoughts about Beth as a whole?
3. The story goes back and forth in timelines to paint the picture of how it got to the point where Frank is being accused of murdering his brother, Jimmy. Why was it important for us to read about the past events, including when Gabriel and Beth first dated?
4. Beth embarks on a love triangle with Gabriel and Frank. She believes she’s in love with two men at the same time. Do you think it’s possible to be in love with more than one person? Why or why not?
5. Who do you feel Beth is a better match with—Gabriel or Frank?
6. Beth and Frank’s son Bobby dies in a tragic accident as a boy. They both close off with each other, and don’t talk about Bobby. It is isn’t until Beth is around Gabriel and his son Leo, where she feels free to talk about Bobby again. Let’s discuss the reasons why Beth felt comfortable to tell them about Bobby.
7. What did you think first happened to Jimmy? Were you surprised when it was Leo who in fact shot Jimmy to protect his dad?
8. We learn that Frank covered up what Leo did, and took the fall for him. Eventually it’s revealed that Gabriel was the birth father of Bobby, and Frank felt guilty about the tragic accident that took Bobby’s life. Let’s discuss Frank’s thought process here and why he covered up for Leo.
9. Should Beth have found a way to tell Gabriel she was pregnant at the time? Why did Gabriel’s mother have so much influence?
10. Did you feel that Beth and Gabriel finally resolved their feelings after all the tragedies, or do you think their love is still lingering?
11. Frank does go to jail, but Beth is pregnant and eventually has a little girl named Grace. But Frank doesn’t want them to visit him in jail—he wants his first experience with his daughter not in a jail cell. Let’s talk about the ending when Frank finally comes home.
12. Do you feel Broken Country is a love story? Why or why not?

Additional Recommendations

Hope you enjoyed book club questions for Broken Country! Here are so more recommendations along with links to book club questions.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Happy reading!