Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (audiobook)

genre: historical fiction

Beth’s life in her small British village is a peaceful one, at least on the outside. She is deeply in love with her husband Frank and she finds real meaning in working their farm together, along with Frank’s younger brother Jimmy. But from the beginning, we know something is off. There is a grief and sadness that permeates Beth’s inner world and as we go back and forth in time - Beth’s story slowly threads itself together. And the choices that she makes - along with the men she has loved - will circle down into a tragedy that shocked me when the mystery was revealed.

So many trigger warnings in this gripping book. Death and loss and marital infidelity. I had a hard time ever feeling like I could completely root for Beth and yet also I believed her when she explained her decisions. She was so human - I couldn’t hate her even when I hated what she was doing sometimes. I am glad I came in completely blind to this story because I had no idea where it was going. There is a LOT of back and forth in time but it wasn’t hard for me to track, I just lost myself in the lovely narration and by the end, I felt tender and satisfied with how Beth put her world back together. If you enjoy mysteries and relationship/family drama, you might enjoy this.