Author: Clare Leslie Hall
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Reviewer: Lidia Kathrine
From the very opening lines of Broken Country, the reader is faced with unravelling the mystery of who has been murdered, why and as the narrative continues, just who is on trial for murder.
Clare Leslie Hall weaves an intricate narrative that spans the two vastly different worlds that Beth has lived in, the year we meet her in 1968, and that of her youth in 1955. Through the parallel telling of the two love stories, the reader learns not only about Beth’s present, including her husband Frank and their life on Blakely Farm, which included Frank’s brother Jimmy, and their son Bobby. But we are also transported back to 1955, where Beth meets Gabriel Wolfe whilst she is ‘trespassing’ at Meadowland. Whilst the constant question that is at the forefront of the readers mind is just who was murdered, and why. Broken Country’s main focus is on Beth, and the love that she has for both Frank and Gabriel, and whilst she loves them both intensely, it is apparent that she loves them in vastly different ways. With Gabriel, their love is all consuming, passionate and they long to always be with each other. Whereas with Frank, their love is reliable, stable and they share a strong friendship. And whilst Beth has been happy with the life she has lived at Blakely Farm with Frank and their son Bobby, the unexpected arrival of Gabriel, and his son Leo, unravels all the Beth has come to believe about her past and present.
Through Beth becoming reacquainted with Gabriel, and meeting his son Leo, the reader learns about the events that occurred which ultimately transpired in Gabriel and Beth no longer being together, and why Beth decided to marry Frank. Underscored through all of this is the devastating loss of Beth’s son Bobby, and how Beth is drawn to Leo, not as a substitute replacement for Bobby, but rather as a source of finally being able to talk to someone about Bobby. In talking about Bobby, Beth reveals to the reader just how loved he was by everyone, the light that he shone into everyone’s life, and the devastating hole that his death has left in the heart of Beth, Frank and Jimmy. When the true cause of Bobby’s death is finally revealed, the reader can understand the guilt and anger both Frank and Beth feel for Bobby’s death. However, it’s not until the climax of Broken Country that the reader learns about the true connection between Beth, Frank, Gabriel, Leo and Bobby, and the devastating secret that Beth has kept from Gabriel all these years. And once the identity of who was shot on the farm is revealed, as well as the circumstances leading to this death, the reader finally understands the actions taken by Frank, in order to rectify the mistakes of the past, and why Gabriel and Beth agreed to go along with his decision.
What was particularly riveting and captivating about Clare Leslie Hall’s narrative was the way in which she uses descriptive imagery when describing Meadowland versus Blakely Farm, and how the scenery and the way it is depicted parallels the emotions, happiness and even the trauma that the characters all experience. As a consequence of the events that occurred in September 1968, Beth is finally able to come to terms with not only the loss of Bobby but make peace with the fact that some loves need to stay in the past and cannot be recaptured. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Broken Country, and whilst there were times where I felt the devastating loss that Beth was experiencing, the uplifting ending and the chance to experience happiness once again, left me feeling very satisfied, and as though I was leaving the characters in a better place than when I found them.
Publishers blurb
Beth was seventeen when she first met Gabriel. Over that heady, intense summer, he made her think and feel and see differently. She thought it was the start of her great love story. When Gabriel left to become the person his mother expected him to be, she was broken.
It was Frank who picked up the pieces and together they built a home very different from the one she’d imagined with Gabriel. Watching her husband and son, she remembered feeling so sure that, after everything, this was the life she was supposed to be leading.
But when Gabriel comes back, all Beth’s certainty about who she is and what she wants crumbles. Even after ten years, their connection is instant. She knows it’s wrong and she knows people could get hurt. But how can she resist a second chance at first love?
A love story with the pulse of a thriller, Broken Country is a heart-pounding novel of impossible choices and devastating consequences.