Fantastic Broken Country Book Club Questions

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall was published on March 4th, 2025 and it is one of the most gripping and wonderful historical fiction novels I’ve ever read. The Broken Country book club questions below will be the perfect starting point for your book club discussion.

I know that it can be difficult to think of book club questions that capture themes and major plot points of a book. That is why I made this post. I wanted you to be able to read the book and think about your feelings while I provided you with the Broken Country Book Club questions.

Jackie also created this list of Book Club Questions (+PDF). These are universal questions that you can use in addition to the specific ones I have below.

I have tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but I knew that any Broken Country Book Club questions would be incomplete without some details.

If you need a recap of the book before your book club, feel free to head over to my post Summary of Broken Country. There you will find important details to help jog your memory.

Article Contents

Broken Country Book Club Questions and Discussion Guide

Do you think the title of the book accurately sums up all that happens? Would you have named it something different?
What did you think of the narrative device of not knowing who was on trial and who was killed? Would the book have been as intriguing if it had been structured another way?
What would have happened to Gabe and Beth if she hadn’t read his diary?
What did you think of Gabe’s response to Tess’s behavior towards Beth – both when it was happening in front of him and after when she was upset?
Why did Beth go along with keeping her pregnancy a secret? Was that the right choice?
Why did no one want to talk to Beth about her deceased son? Was that the right way for the town to handle her grief?
Do you think Beth was subconsciously talking to Leo about Bobby because they were brothers?
Did Beth want to tell Gabe about Bobby because she missed talking about him or because she wanted him to know his son?
After what happened to Bobby, did it change your feelings about Grace’s infidelity?
Beth came back after Bobby died for Jimmy, but Jimmy never got the help he needed for his mental health. Why did everyone ignore the obvious signs of his drinking problem?
Do you believe in true love? If so, who was Beth’s?
Each of the main characters was broken in their own way, did it excuse their behavior?
Did you have a favorite main character?
Why was it important that this book be set in the 1960s? If it had been set in present day, would it have changed the book?
Should Frank have lied for Leo?

Expert Tip

If you cannot remember character names or what happened in the plot, head over the my post: Summary of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. In this post, you will find everything you need to refresh your memory before your Broken Country Book Club.

If you are hosting a Broken Country Book Club at your house, there are some things you can do to elevate the book club.

Consider playing 60s music and some Elvis! The King was mentioned numerous times in the book.
Consider your food choices. Traditional farm fare includes shepherds or cottage pie, meatloaf, or chicken a la king, while pubs often serve fish-and-chips and a cold pint.

Frequently Asked Questions about Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Is Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall Being Made into a Movie?

Yes! Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine production company purchased the film rights to this story. If they do as good a job as they did with the Where the Crawdads Sing adaptation, it will be a fantastic movie!

Is Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall a good pick for my book club?

Absolutely. Not only is there a lot to discuss in this historical fiction novel, but the writing is so good everyone might actually finish the book in time for the discussion! Once you start it, you won’t be able to put it down.