Hoi T. Pham has penned a story with richly drawn characters - no matter if they're on the good side of the scale, or the bad.

Sophia - a dedicated workaholic who aspires to move beyond her present circumstances, consisting of a dysfunctional family. In her case, it's made worse by her parents always seeming to put her needs as secondary to her brother's.

Lewis - Sophia's younger autistic brother who is largely dependent on others to survive, who has a sense of humour revealed later in the story which made me laugh sometimes and shake my head at others.

Add to the mix an alcoholic for a father and an enabling, coddling mother and you can see where a recipe for disaster has been formed - and disaster turns out to be an understatement.

The various relationships of the characters in relation to Sophia caught my attention as much as the events occurring in her workplace. Sophia wanted to love her family but, at every turn, something always went wrong. She grew envious of her brother, disillusioned with her father and disappointed in her mother. Who, in her position, wouldn't want to move out and start a life of her own?

Sophia was on the verge of doing it, too. She was ready to sign the dotted line on the contract for her promotion - but something wasn't quite right. Her employer was a little too hands on for her liking and, when things escalated, she found herself in an uncomfortable position. The only way she could keep her promotion was by giving in to her employer's sexual demands, something she knew she could never do.

As a reader, I could sense the stress and tension Sophia felt through much of the story. I felt her disenchantment with life, her sorrow and heartache. I felt her disappointment and incredulity, then her resolve as she dealt with the various events unfolding around her - some which she never could have imagined.

Broken may be a fictional story but it was executed very well with believable characters, an engaging - even if suspenseful - plot, and was charged with varying emotions. I look forward to reading other titles by Hoi T. Pham.