Editorial note: I received a copy of this novel in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a sweeping tale about love, grief and secrets.
So far, it appears Broken Country is the breakout hit of 2025. It’s been a while since a debut has stirred up so much buzz. I first heard about Broken Country almost a year ago. And some of those books just have that quality that reaches multiple audiences, especially when Reese’s Book Club selects it as a monthly pick.
As you can imagine, I had really high expectations for this one. But I didn’t quite love it like a lot of people do. It is an intriguing story, but this is a case where I actually think it needed to be longer (it sits at 320 pages), and I needed more character development.
But it is quite an emotional ride, and I thought the ending was good. So while it wasn’t a book I fell in love with, I did enjoy aspects. But there are also elements I was not a fan of as well.
What’s the Story About
Beth is married to Frank, her kind farmer husband. Everything changes for them when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep. 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.
The Love Triangle
As you can probably tell, there is a love triangle with Beth struggling with loving both Frank and Gabriel. I don’t tend to enjoy love triangle stories that much, so maybe that was already working against me with this novel. I never feel like the reasoning is that valid, and it is weak in this case. Beth simply is in love with two nice men.
But gosh, so much emotional destruction happens as a result. Frank is portrayed pretty much as a saint, which made him a little one dimensional at times. Although he has his flaws as well. While I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop about Gabriel, but it seems he had good intentions as well. There were hints of his selfishness but it kind of fades away.
I think with how messy love triangles are, I wanted more development. We read the book from Beth’s perceptive and I actually think we could have used some from Frank and Gabriel. I just wanted to know their perspectives too.
The author chose to write this story in short chapters. And I do like that style, but I feel with such a large, literary story, we needed a bit more.
Tragedies
Beth and Frank tragically lose their young son Bobby, and are forever changed. When Gabriel comes back to her life, and his son Leo reminds her so much of her own son, it brings back so many memories. But it’s also the first time Beth feels she can talk about Bobby as Frank has shut down, and his memory is too painful for him to talk about.
In a way, Beth becomes close with Gabriel again as a result of being able to talk about happy memories with Bobby. It’s so bittersweet and quite sad.
You can definitely tell from the synopsis that there is a lot of sad and tragic events. Maybe it was just me, but I found it to be a lot. I told my friend that it’s pretty much like “tragedy after tragedy after tragedy.” I understand this novel is a serious literary mystery, but oh man, the lack of lightness was a bit much.
Verdict
This is a sad story, but there is some hope too. It’s very heavy, so that’s something I want to stress. I know when a book is extremely popular, sometimes it is overlooked that it covers serious topics.
This was not a favorite of mine, but I do feel it’s a good one for book clubs. There is a ton to discuss and analyze, especially with Beth’s decisions. So book clubs will have a good meeting with Broken Country.
Again, I just want to warn it’s very tragic-focused. But it does move fast, and there is a trial aspect that was quite interesting too.
But if you didn’t love it like me, you’re not alone! Sometimes the big, buzzy books don’t work for us, and that’s okay too.
For book clubs, check out my discussion questions here.
