Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is a book that will stay with me for a very long time.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

Most of the books I read are for pure entertainment; mysteries, thrillers, rom-cons - ones I forget about soon after I finish reading them.

Only a few books have stayed with me long after I turned the final page.

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall will be one of those books.

For those taking part in Beneath the Book Club, you’ll recall that Broken Country was on our April list, but it wasn’t chosen.

The book had such great reviews and high rating on Goodreads that I had to download it.

Plus, it was written by an author I was unfamiliar with. (It’s always great to find new authors.)

Broken Country follows the story of two great love affairs involving one woman and two men.

Beth met Gabriel Wolfe when the two were just teenagers; together they experienced their very firsts.

When Gabriel went off to college, immaturity and insecurity drove them apart and Beth landed in the arms of Frank, a young farmer who had loved her since they were children.

Beth and Frank married, had a son and built a comfortable life on the farm.

Then a gunshot changed everything.

Gabriel, now divorced and with a young son of his own, returns to the village where Beth and Frank live, and old feelings are reignited, setting everyone on a dangerously sad course.

What unfolds is a masterfully told story of love, loss and the messiness that comes with life.

This isn’t your amateur read. If you’re looking for a book with real depth, Broken Country is it.

There’s passion, heartbreak, regret, mystery and an ending you’ll never see coming.

I listened to this on audible, and it was beautiful.

Check it out.