BROKEN COUNTRY
Clare Leslie Hall
Simon and Schuster Canada
March 4, 2025
320 pages
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Every once in a while a book comes along that completely draws me in, yet it is hard for me to find the words to review. This is one of those.
The writing is very descriptive. The setting is wonderful……pastoral. Set on a generational farm belonging to a hard-working family.
The storyline consists of two timelines. The “present” is 1966, the past is “Before”, which I would set at about 1954. There are a few extra chapters of a trial happening, a harbinger of tragedy to come. It’s all easy to follow.
The theme is an old-fashioned love triangle. The story is full of drama, tragedy, emotion, guilt and even murder. While this makes it sound cheesy, it’s not. It’s about human beings that get themselves into an incredible mess. There were decisions made that I didn’t agree with. But, that’s what happens in life. Everything is not black or white. I think the characters are very realistic, but flawed. I could empathize with all of them. Is it possible to love two people at the same time?
And, then, there are the secrets, always the secrets!!!! Every good book seems to have them.
The ending is well done………. It leaves the reader with hope.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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