Broken Country Hardcover – 4 March 2025

Clare has woven the plot in a very wholesome manner providing all answers to a tale with many twists and turns.

Wonderful read.

Beth has a quiet, weather-beaten existence with Frank, her kind, earthy husband, on a Dorset sheep farm. They circle one another with the sort of gentleness that may only be created by shared tragedy—something unspoken, yet ever there. Into this tenuous quiet enters Gabriel, Beth's first love, now returned with his son and the burden of his own loss. As soon as he re-enters her world, past and present start to bleed together.What held me wasn't just the story—it was the structure. Clare does not present the story in linear fashion. Rather, she allows it to come together in pieces, memory by memory. The circularity of time reflecting the operation of trauma—never linear, never actually left behind—is a powerful echo throughout. Each flashback, each minutiae—a barking dog's noise, a lost photograph, a held glance too long—accumulates quiet significance, until they finally cohere with jolting clarity in a late twist that actually surprised me. I didn't anticipate it—and I wanted to reread the entire novel all over again with fresh eyes.Nitisha echoes my thoughts that this isn't a straightforward second-chance romance. It has multitudes—grief, loyalty, longing, the tension between duty and need. There's a courtroom drama, certainly, but its tension lies in not legalities—but in emotion, in person, in who we trust and why. The sibling connection adds complexity without mawkishness, rooting the characters above romance.And then, of course, there is Frank. Solid, kind, and quietly heartbreaking. He's not the dramatic pick, but he's the heart of this book.Was wearing the full depth of his love by the end of it—that hug scene is branded on our hearts! It's not a hug. It's all the unspoken things, all the suffering.

One such book that drew me in immediately, and I was completely immersed in it from the get go!The dual timeline narration - before and after, was handled so beautifully. The story unfolded piece by piece with such care, pulling me deeper with every chapter. The writing itself is absolutely gorgeous, so lyrical and emotionally resonant that I fell in love with the prose. I could feel everything: the grief, the love, the anger, the longing. Each emotion was so vividly drawn that it lingered with me long after l'd set the book down.Set in the English countryside, the atmosphere was rich and immersive. The cast was wonderfully complex, and deeply flawed, very human! There were moments when I questioned the choices characters made, but that only added to the realism. That's the beauty of this story: it doesn't simplify emotions or tie things up neatly. It trusts the reader to feel the messiness and truth of life.Broken Country is many things at its heart, it's a story of love and unrequited love, but it's also a murder mystery, a family drama, and a slow-burning thriller. It blends these genres seamlessly, with a twist near the end that I truly didn't see coming. The love triangle, the suspense, the emotional depth- this book had everything I crave as a reader.By the end, I was completely emotionally attached to the characters. The final poem left me in tears. Oh Frank, you sweet, sweet man! I closed the book with that rare ache you only feel after reading something truly special. I want more. Can't wait to see this one adapted one day!If you're looking for a beautifully written, emotionally rich novel that delivers romance, suspense, and heartbreak in equal measure- this is it.

Wealthy boy Gabriel meets Beth, a girl from a humble background. They fall head over heels in love. Gabriel’s mother, Tessa doesn’t approve of Beth because of her humble background. Eventually, circumstances lead to their breakup. However, the breakup was rushed, without either of them trying to understand what had happened. Youth and naïvety led both to behave in such a rushed manner. After the breakup, heartbroken Beth finds love again. Frank, a shy village boy who always loved Beth marries her.Years later, when Gabriel returns to the village with his son Leo, Beth is reminded of the path not taken. Beth finds a way back to Gabriel and spends time with Leo. With this, the past resurfaces, hidden secrets are unravelled and a tragedy strikes which alters the lives of Beth, Gabriel and Frank. A trial takes place, the verdict of which changes everything.The novel goes back and forth in time. It goes back to that summer when Beth and Gabriel first fell in love, and also shows the present. The mystery of the trial, specifically who is dead and who is the accused is kept hidden until the very end. The last 50 pages tie the loose ends together with unexpected revelations.I was hooked on the novel from the very beginning. The character of Beth is flawed. She doesn’t always make the right choices, even when she knows the consequences. Frank is the epitome of goodness. I couldn’t help but fall in love with his character and feel bad for him as well. Gabriel seemed selfish and proud at one point, but towards the end his character became likeable.Overall, it’s a beautifully crafted novel. The plot unfolds at a deliberate, well-paced and avoiding any sense of being rushed. The deeply satisfying ending provides a perfect conclusion to the intricate character journeys and the central mystery.