is Alan Duff’s fourth novel and the sequel to
Once Were Warriors, published six years after the phenomenal success of the author’s literary debut. The story likewise is set six years on from the events in
Warriors, which, however, continue to cast their shadow on the lives of the surviving members of the Heke family. The novel’s title, taken from a 60s Motown song, echoes that of the longest chapter in
Once Were Warriors, “Jake and the Broken of Hearts and Spirits”, and Jake is the main focus of interest of the story, but the first chapter immediately suggests that he is a changed man. Sharing a state house with Cody, the street kid he took under his wing at the end of
Warriors, he has had a steady job for five years, rides a bus to work every…
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Citation: Heim, Otto. "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 March 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23261, accessed 21 November 2024.]
