In Episode 193, author Clare Leslie Hall talks with Sarah about her US debut, Broken Country — a breakout hit and a Reese's Book Club pick. A genre mash-up that is part love story and part murder trial, Clare talks about marketing Broken Country, how this came to be her first U.S. release, and the ways the novel evolved over time. Plus, Clare shares her book recommendations.

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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Highlights

• Books by Clare Leslie Hall: Broken Country, Days You Were Mine (previously published as Mine), and Pictures of Him (previously published as Him).
• Clare gives a brief, spoiler-free overview of Broken Country.
• Clare's inspiration for Broken Country.
• How the themes of love, guilt, and connection play roles in the novel.
• The ways Broken Country developed and changed over the course of her writing process.
• How Clare decided that this was no longer a contemporary novel and needed to be set in the 1950s and 1960s.
• The aspect of the book of which she's most proud.
• How Broken Country came to be her first book released in the U.S.
• What the marketing looked like for Broken Country compared to her first two novels.
• Anything Clare would change about Broken Country down the line should she have the opportunity (since she was able to change the ending of her second book for the U.S. release).
• A bit about what Clare has planned for her next book.

Clare's Book Recommendations [35:30]

Two OLD Books She Loves

• Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (1987) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:43]
• All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (1992) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:26]
• Other Books Mentioned:
  • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1985) [38:42]

Two NEW Books She Loves

• Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell (February 18, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[40:12]
• Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (July 30, 2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[41:33]
• Other Books Mentioned:
  • The Wedding People by Alison Espach (July 30, 2024) [43:48]
  • The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller (2021) [44:04]

One Book She DIDN'T Love

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:22]

One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About

• What the Deep Water Knows by Miranda Cowley Heller (July 1, 2025) | Amazon| Bookshop.org [48:40]

Last 5-Star Book Clare Read

• Leaving by Roxana Robinson (2024) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [51:19]

Books From the Discussion

• Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001) [14:38]
• The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley (1953) [14:42]
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) [16:22]
• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2018) [54:02]

About Clare Leslie Hall

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Clare Leslie Hall is a novelist and journalist who lives in the wilds of Dorset, England, with her family. She's the author of Broken Country, Pictures of Him, and Days You Were Mine.