In 1960s Australia, Tom Hope, a farmer, has recently suffered the abandonment for the third time by his impulsive wife Trudy and his stepson Peter, who he raised as his own ever since Trudy came back pregnant with another man's child. But this time, the separation might be more permanent because Trudy desires to raise Peter in a place Tom dubbed as "Jesus Camp" and Tom is not allowed to have any contact with the boy he had grown to care for as a son.

However, Tom is soon hired for his carpentry skills in building bookshelves for a bookstore owned by Hannah Babel, a twice-widowed woman from Hungary, about twelve years older than Tom. Hannah, however, suffering from deep wounds by what the Nazis and concentration camps inflicted upon her soul, has a difficult time in letting people inside her heart, especially children who remind her too much of her dead son Michael.

When Peter escapes from camp and Tom finally gets a chance to permanently be with the boy he designated as his son, can Hannah make peace with her past, or are she and Tom destined to break apart?

With a cover as beautiful as the story inside it, THE BOOKSHOP OF THE BROKEN HEARTED by Robert Hillman is a treat to be savored. The time within THE BOOKSHOP OF THE BROKEN HEARTED moves quickly, and we are offered a mere glance of the characters and the lives they lead. But their lives are indeed full of potential to be expanded into concrete blocks and something more tangible than a mere dream. I found myself wishing the pace of the book would slow down when it came to the characters, to enjoy the scenery instead of being rushed along through the plot. Also, it should be noted that this book does contain scenes of violence towards animals. For a reader seeking a tale of second chances and older protagonists, THE BOOKSHOP OF THE BROKEN HEARTED by Robert Hillman should be a wonderful read for this spring.