The Burgess Boys - bookrastinating.com

Audiobook

English language

Published March 26, 2013 by Books on Tape.

Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever. With a rare combination of brilliant storytelling, exquisite prose, and remarkable insight into character, The …

Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever. With a rare combination of brilliant storytelling, exquisite prose, and remarkable insight into character, The Burgess Boys is Elizabeth Strout’s newest and perhaps most astonishing work of literary art.

5 editions

Acton reviewed The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

Review of 'The Burgess Boys' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Elizabeth Strout's story about the Burgess family, from a small town in Maine, is captivating and hard to put down. There are actually three Burgess kids, Jim, the eldest, and his younger twin siblings, Bob and Susan. The relationship between the two brothers is very much influenced by a tragic accident that happens when they are very young children. Growing up, Jim had it all over Bob, never missing an opportunity to tease or put him down. Meanwhile, Susan grew up as the ignored sibling; for whatever reason, their mother didn't much like her daughter. So, Jim was the star, while Bob was his mother's personal favorite.

That's the background. The present day tragedy happens when Susan's teenaged son Zack does something mindless and stupid that makes national news and puts Zack in danger of being convicted of more than just a misdemeanor. Susan, like Bob, is divorced, and so …

Elizabeth Strout's story about the Burgess family, from a small town in Maine, is captivating and hard to put down. There are actually three Burgess kids, Jim, the eldest, and his younger twin siblings, Bob and Susan. The relationship between the two brothers is very much influenced by a tragic accident that happens when they are very young children. Growing up, Jim had it all over Bob, never missing an opportunity to tease or put him down. Meanwhile, Susan grew up as the ignored sibling; for whatever reason, their mother didn't much like her daughter. So, Jim was the star, while Bob was his mother's personal favorite.

That's the background. The present day tragedy happens when Susan's teenaged son Zack does something mindless and stupid that makes national news and puts Zack in danger of being convicted of more than just a misdemeanor. Susan, like Bob, is divorced, and so the first person she thinks to call is her brother Jim, who has become a famous trial lawyer. Jim and Bob have both moved to New York City, but they both feel a duty to return to Shirley Falls, Maine to be with their sister and her son. We see how each of them reacts, and we see how they interact with each other, and it is written very well. Stir into this Jim's marriage to Helen, Bob's relationship with his ex-wife Pam, and Susan's depression and anxiety about her son, and the story becomes complex and very real.

One topic that is very important in an obvious way in Zack's story, and in a more subtle way elsewhere, is the clash of different cultures. When people don't understand each other, they can become frightened, feel threatened, and become offended. The real hero, the man who saves Zack, is an older Somali man named Abdikarim who is wise enough to put aside his initial fear and see Zack as the scared, confused boy he is.

Meanwhile, in the rest of the Burgess family, there is a bit of a reversal of fortunes, as Jim's personal life swirls out of control, while Bob and Susan are beginning new, better chapters. I feel like I know them, and I wish them all well.