Summary of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Below is a summary of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, a review, a character guide, and an explanation of the ending. Broken Country is a nonlinear, historical fiction novel that explores lost love and examines the grief of losing a child. I could not put this compelling story down.

As soon as I started this book, I knew it was going to be a powerful and poignant one. I wanted to make sure that I did not miss any details so I took notes on the plot and themes. I wanted to be able to provide you with a thorough summary and review.

If you are thinking about picking this book for your next book club, you can check out my post Broken Country Book Club Questions to help you out.

Summary of Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Part 1 – Gabriel

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall begins with a dead farmer and Beth being questioned by police about what happened to him. It then flashes to 1968 in Hemston, North Dorset where Frank is telling his wife, Beth, that Gabriel Wolfe is moving back to Meadowlands, the big house in their small village before departing to work the farm with his brother, Jimmy.

In 1955, Gabriel and Beth meet for the first time when she collides with him in his meadow and they instantly connect.

Back in 1968, it’s spring. The lambs are wandering the fields and Beth is reflecting on the childhood of Bobby, her son, and how much he loved lambing season. Suddenly, a dog is in their midst, chasing the sheep and killing 3 of them. Jimmy shoots and kills the dog, only for a young boy to run out crying that they just shot his pet, followed quickly by his father, Gabriel. Beth takes the little boy in her arms as he weeps for his dog. It reminds her of her deceased son.

Then in 1969 at the Old Bailey in London, there is a trial happening in which Beth is despondent as the man she loves sits surrounded by police accused of a crime.

Back in 1955 – Gabriel and Beth connect even more. He tells her of boarding school, his disinterested father, and his overly involved mother. He speaks of how he just doesn’t like being home and is eager to start university in 3 months. She explains that her sister, Eleanor, is a secretary in London living an exotic life; she can’t wait to join her there someday. They talk about both wanting to be writers.

In 1968- Leo, Gabriel’s son, is upset about the murder of Rocket, his dog. It’s revealed that Gabriel is now a celebrated author and Beth’s son, Bobby, was 9 when he died 2 years ago.

Before – Gabriel and Beth dated, talking about their dreams of going to University. They fall in love quickly and effortlessly as they realize just how much they have in common.

In 1968, Beth reflects on the grief of losing a child and heads to the pub to meet Frank. There she remembers how Frank picked up the pieces years ago when she broke up with Gabriel.

In 1955, Beth is exploring applying to Oxford, where she would be one of the few girls to attend. Beth had wanted Frank to ask her out but by the time he does, she’s already with Gabriel.

In 1968, she gives Leo a puppy and offers to help train him. Frank is wary of her getting involved with Gabriel’s family.

The trial is interspersed throughout but we don’t yet know the crime or who is accused. Beth is looked at and asked “why did he do it” by neighbors, friends, and reports, where it’s revealed that she tells the rehearsed story, but not the truth.

In 1955, Gabe sets up an elaborate tent where Beth loses virginity to Gabe, falling in love, and swearing they will be together forever, despite their class differences.

1968 – Beth helps train Leo’s puppy. Gabe asks if she will babysit Gabe a few hours a day. Despite Frank’s dislike of the idea, Beth decides she will.

In 1955, class issues arise when Beth meets Gabe’s mom Tess for the first time. She makes her feel unworthy, cheap, and insignificant by constantly making snide remarks and undermining her. Beth is left upset at Tess’s behavior and Gabe’s lack of help, but Gabe doesn’t fully understand why she is so upset, choosing to make light of the situation instead.

In 1968, Nina, Jimmy’s longtime girlfriend, and Jimmy announce they are finally getting married. Leo is upset his mom isn’t visiting after all because of her new baby. He’s feeling vulnerable and leaning on Beth more and more.

Back in 1955, Beth interviews at Oxford while also worrying about Gabe’s friend Louisa. Louisa has been handpicked by Tess to be Gabe’s ideal girlfriend. Tess tries to play matchmaker despite Gabe still being with Beth while off at school. After witnessing Gabe and Lousia’s interactions at Oxford, Beth reads his diary. Within the pages, she sees that Louisa spent the night with Gabe and breaks up with him.

Part 2 – Bobby

Upset with her break-up with Gabe, Beth turned down Oxford. It’s revealed that she moves in with Frank, Jimmy, and Dave (their dad) and has Bobby in the kitchen with Jimmy helping her deliver. 

In 1968, Andy, a local cop, breaks up a fight when Jimmy is drunk after celebrating his engagement, and he tries to hit Gabe. Later, he testifies at the trial. The shooting was on Sept 28, and he believed within 24 hours that a murder was committed and it was not the accident everyone was claiming it to be.

In the past, it’s revealed that Bobby is a miracle who brings out the doting grandpa and the responsible side of Jimmy. Everyone falls for Bobby and he becomes the center of the farm. When Bobby turns 3, Gabe gets married in town to Louisa. They already have a child who participates in the wedding. Beth and Bobby watch them pose for pictures outside the church.

In 1968, Leo is obsessed with Bobby and Gabe asks to know more about Bobby too. Beth loves sharing and talking about him, feeling that she can focus on happy memories while sharing stories of him with others.

Louisa eventually comes to visit and insinuates to Beth that she can still have Gabriel. She knows that Gabe never really loved her because his heart was always Beth’s. Nina and Jimmy get married and Gabe and Leo are invited to come to the wedding – the whole town is! Leo wears cowboy boots and dances to Elvis just like Bobby used to do.

Outside away from the other guests, Gabe explains he never cheated on Beth back in college but was mad she thought him capable of it. Beth kisses him.

Finally, it is revealed how Bobby died. A giant rotten try was being taken down on the farm. Frank, David, and Jimmy all swore to Beth that they would watch Bobby and keep him clear of danger. It took all day to cut the tree and just as Beth was coming to check on the progress, she saw Bobby running from the tractor he was supposed to be sitting in, right into the path of the falling tree. It fell and killed him instantly.

Part 3 – Jimmy

The trial has started and Beth’s dad is a character witness. It breaks her heart to see how the shooting accident has broken not just her little family, but her extended family as well.

Going back to 1968, two days after the wedding Beth and Gabe’s affair begins in earnest and she sleeps with her husband the same night.

It’s revealed that Beth left Frank when Bobby died. She staying for weeks with her parents in their new home in Ireland. She almost left for good because she knew she would always blame him a little for Bobby’s death but she came back for Jimmy. He became a bad drunk, blaming himself for not watching Bobby either. Jimmy believes he’s the reason Frank lost his wife and son, and Beth realizes that Jimmy lost his family too. 

In the present day, Jimmy and Frank go to the bar every night and Beth can’t stop herself from the affair. Beth begins finding it hard to pull herself away from being a lover to being just the carer of Leo and envisions them as a new family.

Then, Gabe is interviewed by a journalist when Beth casually walks into his home, later in the week someone is asking questions about Beth in the pub and Nina confronts Beth. She suspects Frank knows too.

Her instincts are confirmed when Frank sets Bobby’s tree on fire. Frank declares it’s over. He says it was always him, he believes he was second best. Beth says that wasn’t true but she can’t stop crying. That night, Jimmy shows up drunk and goes ballistic. Frank deals with it and makes him stop yelling at Beth. 

Later that weekend Jimmy gets drunk again and goes missing with a shotgun. He claims he’s going to kill Gabriel. Beth goes to warn them and she hides under the table with Leo when Gabriel goes out to confront Jimmy – who has a shotgun and is firing in the house. Poor Leo reminds Beth that Jimmy shot his dog.

Scroll down to see the ending with spoilers.

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Broken Country Review

Broken Country Ending Explained (With Spoilers)

Part 4 – Frank

It’s revealed that Frank is accused of murdering his brother. The trial happens and Nina comes at the last minute as a character witness for Frank. Frank claims that Gabriel persuaded Jimmy to get in the car and drive back home, that upon Gabriel leaving, Jimmy became belligerent and in trying to disarm Jimmy, they struggled over the gun and Jimmy was shot in the process. He’s found not guilty of murder, but he is found guilty of manslaughter. He’ll need to spend 5-8 years in prison.

What actually happened was that Beth and Leo were also in the car. That Jimmy wouldn’t leave unless Beth also left. Inside the cabin, Beth and Frank were trying to calm down Jimmy but he got in Gabe’s face and put his hands around his neck. Leo, who was supposed to wait in the car, saw this and shot Jimmy.

Gabriel doesn’t understand why Frank took the fall and didn’t let Leo go to court. It is revealed that Frank took the fall because he felt bad he couldn’t protect Gabriel’s first son, Bobby. He was Gabriel’s boy all along. Beth tells him and Gabriel is broken. He loses it, claiming she cheated Leo out of a brother and him out of a son.

Beth thought she was doing the right thing. His mother knew, and Tess paid Beth off so she wouldn’t tell him. The scene devolves, Beth feels angry that Frank is in jail for Gabe’s son because he felt guilty not protecting Bobby.

Beth was alone and pregnant and Frank married her anyway, he picked her up when she a broken shell of herself.  Frank even broke his bail to explain to Leo that he knew it was an accident, so he ended up in prison awaiting trial. Beth confesses that she hates herself and Gabe holds her in Bobby’s favorite spot.

Part 5 – Grace

In 1975, Grace is introduced. She’s 5 and is Frank and Beth’s daughter. She loves sheeping and delivers her first ewe. She was born 8 months after the trial and Frank named her Grace. Frank has never met her because he won’t let her visit – he wants to keep her and Grace from seeing him in prison.

Instead, Gabe tells Leo about Bobby, and Leo and Gabe go once a week to talk to Frank about Bobby. Frank comes to enjoy the visits and forgives himself for what happened to Bobby years ago. Leo and Gabe now live in California.

Feeling he needed to come clean about his crime, Leo visited Nina and told her the truth of what happened. She is now settled, married and pregnant when she comes to see Beth and forgive her. 

Frank comes home one day without ceremony. Grace is in the fields, sees him, screams “Daddy!” and runs to him. Frank screams “I am home.” And Grace bellows it too. Beth runs to them.

Then there is a poem for him.

Character Guide for Broken Country

Main Characters

• Beth – The main character
• Frank – Beth’s husband
• Jimmy – Frank’s brother
• Bobby – Beth and Frank’s child, deceased, Gabe’s biological son
• Gabriel – Beth’s ex-boyfriend
• Leo – Gabriel and Louisa’s Son

Family/ Friends

• Louisa – Gabriel’s ex-wife
• Eleanor – Beth’s sister
• Tess – Gabriel’s mother
• Nina – Jimmy’s wife
• David – Frank and Jimmy’s father
• Andy – Policeman
• Helen – Beth’s best friend

Shop for Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

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Frequently Asked Questions

Epilogue

I hope you enjoyed this summary of Broken Country as much as I enjoyed writing it up. Did you find this helpful for preparing for book club? Did you like this book as much as I did?