Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is receiving tremendous attention and rightfully so. It's character-driven as well as plot-driven with powerful writing and a strong sense of place.
Beth is the cornerstone of this novel set primarily in rural England in 1955 and 1968. Primary themes include marriage, motherhood, and grief, and there's much for book clubs to discuss.
I was completely pulled into the story, told in three non-chronological subplots, and was immersed in characters' emotions to the point I felt physically tense while reading the majority of this book. Content warnings: The death of a child and infidelity are key plot points; a dog dies early in the story. Often infidelity in novels doesn't bother me, but it was very upsetting to me in Broken Country because Frank, Beth's husband, reminds me of my husband in many ways.
I'm grateful to Simon & Schuster for providing a review copy of this thought-provoking novel.
Beth is the cornerstone of this novel set primarily in rural England in 1955 and 1968. Primary themes include marriage, motherhood, and grief, and there's much for book clubs to discuss.
I was completely pulled into the story, told in three non-chronological subplots, and was immersed in characters' emotions to the point I felt physically tense while reading the majority of this book. Content warnings: The death of a child and infidelity are key plot points; a dog dies early in the story. Often infidelity in novels doesn't bother me, but it was very upsetting to me in Broken Country because Frank, Beth's husband, reminds me of my husband in many ways.
I'm grateful to Simon & Schuster for providing a review copy of this thought-provoking novel.
