Broken Country

Broken Country is a literary novel by Clare Leslie Hall that was published in 2025. It is the North American debut for the author, who previously published two thrillers in the UK and Germany under the name Clare Empson.

Set in the UK, primarily in the rural village of Hemston, North Dorset, Broken Country spans decades as it follows Beth Johnson, who is caught between her enduring connection to Gabriel Wolfe, the privileged son of a wealthy family, and Frank Johnson, the steadfast farmer who becomes her husband. When tragedy strikes and an affair reignites old passions, the reverberations lead to a fatal shooting and courtroom drama that will determine their fates. The novel explores themes such as The Unrelenting Grip of the Past, Navigating Class Conflict and Social Division, The Cycle of Love, Betrayal, and Reckoning, and Enduring the Weight of Grief and Loss.

This guide refers to the 2025 Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, child death, animal death, graphic violence, suicidal ideation, addiction, substance use, and sexual content.

Plot Summary

In 1955, in the rural village of Hemston, North Dorset, 16-year-old Beth Kennedy meets 17-year-old Gabriel Wolfe when she trespasses on his family’s estate, Meadowlands. Despite their initial clash, the teenagers discover a shared passion for literature and writing. Gabriel, who is from a wealthy family, invites Beth to join him by the lake, where they form a deep connection over books and poetry throughout the summer.

Their relationship intensifies when Gabriel’s parents leave for a week-long holiday. During this time, they swim in the lake, read together, and eventually make love for the first time in Gabriel’s tent. They pledge their devotion to each other, with Beth hoping to join Gabriel at Oxford University. Their idyll is disrupted by the return of Gabriel’s mother, Tessa, a glamorous but manipulative woman who immediately dislikes Beth. At a dinner party, Tessa deliberately humiliates Beth while showing favor toward Louisa Scott, the daughter of an American film producer.

That autumn, Gabriel begins school at Oxford while Beth continues her final year at the Immaculate Conception Convent. Their correspondence gradually dwindles as Gabriel becomes absorbed in university life. Beth visits Oxford for her interview, and she and Gabriel rekindle their physical relationship. Later during her visit, Beth discovers Gabriel’s diary and misinterprets an entry to mean that he has been unfaithful with Louisa. Devastated, Beth ends their relationship at the bus station before returning home.

Shortly after, Beth discovers that she’s pregnant with Gabriel’s child. When she approaches Tessa for help, instead of informing Gabriel, Tessa bribes Beth with £1,000 to keep the pregnancy secret and arranges for her expulsion from school for “moral” reasons. During this difficult time, Frank Johnson, Beth’s schoolmate who has always quietly admired her, offers support. When Beth confesses her pregnancy, Frank immediately proposes marriage, promising to raise her child as his own.

In October of 1956, a violent storm isolates Blakely Farm, Frank’s family farm on which he and Beth are now living. Unable to leave or call for help, Beth gives birth to a baby boy, whom they name Bobby, on the kitchen floor. Frank’s 13-year-old brother, Jimmy, successfully delivers the baby without medical training. This shared experience cements strong bonds between Beth, Frank, Jimmy, and Frank and Jimmy’s father, David. The family thrives at the farm, with Bobby growing up immersed in rural life and developing a deep connection to the land.

Tragedy strikes in April of 1965 when nine-year-old Bobby is killed by a falling oak tree that Frank, David, and Jimmy are felling on the farm. Despite Beth’s explicit request that Frank watch Bobby during this dangerous work, he becomes distracted, and Bobby wanders into the tree’s path. His death devastates the family—Beth blames Frank, Frank is consumed by guilt, and Jimmy spirals into drinking and occasional violence. The oak’s massive stump remains as a painful reminder of their loss.

In March of 1968, Gabriel, now a celebrated novelist, returns to Meadowlands with his 10-year-old son, Leo, following his divorce from Louisa. Their return reignites village gossip about Beth and Gabriel’s past. That April, Gabriel and Leo’s dog attacks and kills several of the Johnsons’ newborn lambs, forcing Frank to shoot the dog. Beth, feeling compassion for the traumatized Leo, gives him a new puppy and offers to help train it.

Beth begins spending more time at Meadowlands, initially to assist with training Leo’s puppy; however, she soon accepts a paid position as Leo’s after-school caregiver. These daily visits enable Beth and Gabriel to reconnect, sharing wine each afternoon and reminiscing about their past. Leo, missing his mother in America, grows attached to Beth, who finds comfort in Leo’s similarity to Bobby. Meanwhile, Frank senses Beth’s emotional withdrawal, while Jimmy harbors increasing hostility toward Gabriel.

At Jimmy’s wedding to village bartender Nina in September of 1968, Beth and Gabriel sneak away from the celebration and share their first passionate kiss in years, igniting a full-blown affair. The same night, a drunken Jimmy confronts Gabriel at the pub but is restrained by a local police officer. Days later, Frank discovers that Leo has stolen Bobby’s photograph from Beth’s purse and, in a moment of despair, burns the oak stump. When Beth confesses her affair, Frank, still paralyzed by guilt over Bobby’s death, does not fight for their marriage.

Events reach a breaking point on September 28, 1968, when Jimmy, heavily intoxicated, steals a shotgun from the farmhouse and goes to Meadowlands seeking revenge. He fires into the kitchen window, terrifying Beth, Gabriel, and especially Leo, who hides under the table. Gabriel convinces Jimmy to let him drive him back to Blakely Farm, with Beth and Leo accompanying them. At the farm, Jimmy again assaults Gabriel. Leo grabs another shotgun and fires, fatally wounding Jimmy in the chest.

In the chaotic aftermath, Frank immediately claims responsibility for the shooting, telling the police that the gun accidentally discharged as he struggled over it with his brother. His decision to take the blame is motivated by guilt over Bobby’s death and a desire to protect Leo. Frank is charged with Jimmy’s murder, while Beth, Gabriel, and Leo maintain his false narrative.

During Frank’s trial in 1969, witnesses include Gabriel, Beth’s father, and Jimmy’s widow, Nina, who all testify to Frank’s good character and Jimmy’s volatility. Despite strong defense arguments, the jury finds Frank guilty of manslaughter, and he receives an eight-year prison sentence.

While Frank serves his time, Beth runs Blakely Farm with help from her parents. Nina, devastated by Jimmy’s death, cuts all contact with the family. Gabriel and Leo regularly visit Frank in prison, bonding over memories of Bobby. Beth discovers that she is pregnant with Frank’s child and gives birth to a daughter, whom Frank names Grace. Though Frank refuses prison visits from Beth and their daughter—wanting them to remember him only outside prison walls—they maintain their relationship through weekly phone calls and letters.

During this period, Gabriel learns the shocking truth from Beth: Bobby was his biological son, conceived during their last night together at Oxford. She also reveals his mother’s deception in paying Beth to disappear. This revelation helps Gabriel understand why Frank took responsibility for the shooting, and he reveals this new connection to Leo as well, creating a path toward healing for all of them. Leo eventually moves back to California to live with his mother, and Gabriel follows.

The novel concludes in 1974 with Frank’s early release from prison. Beth and five-year-old Grace are working with sheep in the field when Frank unexpectedly returns home. Grace, recognizing her father from photographs, runs to meet him for the first time. As Beth watches their joyful reunion, she reflects on their tragic past and the possibility of a new beginning for their family.