Review: "Even if We're Broken" by A.M. Weald

Even if We're Broken by A.M. Weald
Published April 2024
★★★★

In Colorado, Kate is reeling: her long-term, live-in girlfriend has just left without warning or explanation, she's turning to alcohol and pills more and more often in order to sleep, and she still has lingering thoughts of what could have been.

In Norway, Ben too is struggling: his marriage being over is one thing, but his teenage daughter slowly rejecting him is another. Add to that an injured back and a changing body that he hasn't made peace with, and his day-to-day existence feels tenuous.

What connects them: decades earlier, they met on an archeological dig; they've stayed very loosely in touch, but both of them have always wondered: what if that was the one? And now, back together on a dig in Newfoundland, they have the chance to explore that.

I read another novel set at an archeology dig a year or so ago, so my interest was piqued when I saw the similar (well—not all that similar—but related) setting here. Kate and Ben both have extensive experience and a genuine love for their jobs, which I appreciate; there's a fair amount of drama and tension within the book, but (almost) none of it has to do with people behaving badly at work. Instead, the story is largely an exploration of two people who are not really young any more, and bringing some baggage to the table, and both determined that even when they cannot make seek the best for themselves, they can help the other seek more positive things.

There are some places where I'm not sold: the exes get a bit unnecessarily evil (which is always a pity in books that are otherwise aiming for character complexity), the proofreading gets a bit shaky, and I would have loved more archeology scenes and details. But I found the dynamic Kate and Ben develop to be really satisfying—like, they're both very clear on the fact that if it comes down to Ben's daughter or his new romance, Ben will pick his daughter; it should be a obvious thing but is something that I don't see come up all that often in fiction. Or: sex is a part of the book (not a huge part), and one of the points there is that these are not twentysomethings who spend hours at a time on every position imaginable; they are humans with human limitations, and that's okay. Or: there are moments of insecurity here (plenty of them), but never the cheap shots of small misunderstandings that rapidly become gulfs.

I'm not sure how best to categorize this: there are elements of romance, but it feels more like a coming-of-(middle)-age story in a lot of ways. Two people growing up and figuring it out. Either way, it made for a satisfying read.

Thanks to the author for providing a review copy through NetGalley.