Broken Country

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a poignant and atmospheric literary novel that explores love, betrayal, and the enduring pull of the past against the rugged beauty of the English countryside.

Set across two timelines, the story follows Beth, a woman who believed she had left her first love far behind. Now married and living a seemingly settled life on a struggling sheep farm, Beth’s carefully constructed world begins to fracture when Gabriel Wolfe, the man she once loved deeply, returns to the village. His presence reopens old wounds and forces Beth to confront a choice she thought she’d already made.

As drought, grief, and financial pressure bear down on the land and the people who depend on it, Broken Country examines the cost of loyalty, the weight of regret, and the quiet devastation of lives shaped by missed chances. The novel is both an intimate love story and a broader reflection on class, belonging, and the changing rural landscape.

With lyrical prose and emotional precision, Clare Leslie Hall delivers a deeply human story about the paths not taken and the ways love can both sustain and destroy. Broken Country will resonate with readers who appreciate character-driven fiction, rural dramas, and emotionally rich storytelling.