The Burgess Boys

The combination of the mood I must have been in and Strout's writing made this the absolute perfect read at the time and remains one of the most enjoyable reading experiences I've had in years. Strout's writing isn't flamboyant or excessive in its use of writing techniques. Rather, she lets the characters and her narrative do the work for her, and I found the characters in this novel compelling. As a younger brother, I found Bob utterly endearing, and can understand his desire to want to be the mediator and to ensure the family unit remains a close one. Older siblings, in my experience, can lose sights of how important they are, and how much of an influence they played in the development of their younger siblings. Even in adulthood, I show more find myself seeking affirmation and respect from my brother, who is somewhat like Jim - stubborn, patronising, determined and flawed. Thus, this was a compelling read, and it was the novel that opened up Elizabeth Strout to me, for which I'll always be grateful. show less

This is another strong character driven novel from this writer. I find her observations on everyday life and the flaws and strengths in people exceptional.
The setting is once again the small town of Shirley Falls. When teenager Zach unwittingly commits a racist act, by dropping a pig's head in the open door of a mosque, he sets in motion a chain of events which impacts on both the town and his family. His mother Sue turns to her brothers, Jim and Bob for support and advice.
The dynamics between the three siblings is dictated by a traumatic event in their early childhood.
The portrayal of their characters has the reader experiencing dislike and compassion in equal measure as they all seek to clear Zac's name.
It also highlights the show more difficulty surrounding the integration of refugee families into western lifestyles and the struggles to accept the differing cultural values.
This is a book with much to ponder and I highly recommend it. show less

Elizabeth Strout has spent a lifetime looking deeply into the human soul. This woman knows people; inside out and upside down. And her depiction of ordinary, everyday people, struggling to keep their lives on an even keel always ends up reminding me of people I know. That’s right, ordinary, everyday people. Her latest offering, to be published in March, may be her best yet, no small potatoes considering she’s the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning (and entirely delectable) Olive Kitteridge.

The Burgess Boys, Jim and Bob, and their sister Susan, grew up in the rural Maine town of Shirley Falls. Their father was killed in an accident when they were quite young and they were raised by their widowed mother. Jim went on to a glorious show more career as a flamboyant corporate attorney while brother Bob ekes out a living as a public advocate. They both have abandoned their simple roots for the excitement of life in New York City. Meanwhile, divorced sister Susan raises her son in Shirley Falls. They are not at all close and the reasons for this are deep-seated and drawn out through the narrative.

What draws them together is a criminal act committed by Susan’s withdrawn and isolated son Zachary, and her call to her brothers for help. They return to their birthplace to find a town torn apart by racial disharmony and a house still holding the secrets of their youth. As they help their sister and Zach they also discover each other’s lives aren’t what they seem, and a secret buried years ago, reveals itself and changes their lives.

Strout is at the top of her game. Her ability to reveal and truly illuminate the things that reverberate within the human heart while, at the same time, exhibiting extraordinary storytelling skills, demonstrates that skill Highly recommended. show less

The lives of the three Burgess siblings, Jim, Bob, and Susan, have been laid out on tracks that begin with their father's death in an accident. Susan still lives in a small town in Maine with her teenage son, but the Burgess boys have moved on to jobs as lawyers in New York.

Even in adulthood, Susan and Bob idolize their older brother Jim, despite his verbal abuse and condescension. While Bob's and Susan's marriages both ended badly, Jim's family life looks like a picture in a frame. But when Susan calls on her brothers to help her son out of some trouble, the siblings' precarious identities, so tied up in one another and in their past, begin to unravel.

It's no Olive Kitteredge, but Strout still draws characters with observant nuance and show more deeply identifiable emotions. The book's misfortune is that its author has already written a much better one with which to compare it. show less

Events in childhood shape us for good or ill. His whole life, Bob Burgess has thought of himself as the boy who, at the age of 4, inadvertently killed his father. That thought comes with a fair degree of self-loathing and a substantial amount of just plain loathing from his siblings, his twin sister, Susan, and his older brother, Jim. Jim is now a famous and wealthy New York lawyer. Bob is also a lawyer in New York but he isn’t famous or wealthy. And Susan. Susan is sad and embittered by her life and the fact that her husband, Steve, abandoned her and their son, Zach, seven years previous. If this doesn’t sound like a recipe for a happy-families story, then try also mixing in the fact that Zach has just committed what appears to be show more a hate crime against recently arrived Somali refugees, who themselves undoubtedly find life utterly strange in Shirley Falls, Maine.

Perhaps only Elizabeth Strout could start with the above and turn it into a poignant story of love and reconciliation, of re-evaluation and realization, and varieties of forgiveness. It’s a hard story to read because you can’t help but be anxious for every one of these characters (even the self-regarding and often cruel Jim). But especially for Bob, who is so sweet and downtrodden that it is hard to even imagine him ever surfacing into his own life again.

If you’ve read other Elizabeth Strout novels, it’s likely you already know about the Burgess family. I came to this novel out of its order of publication, so it was especially nice to get a chance to fill in all the gaps in my understanding of some of Shirley Falls’ famous sons.

And like each of Elizabeth Strout’s other novels, this one is easy to recommend. show less

The main question of the book is, "Is Jim an asshole?" For most of the book it's pretty easy for the reader to answer in the affirmative. Charismatic, intelligent Jim is Egotistical (with a capital E and maybe 4 !!!!), confrontational and self absorbed. Of course he's an asshole, as is Susan who is acerbic, confrotational and completely rejecting. Zach is certainly an asshole, or at least, acts like one. Helen is an asshole, the perfect wife and mother who cares only about appearances. Pam, the social climbing, opportunistic ex wife fits the bill. And while we're at it, lets add the Somalis. They're paranoid, judgemental, chauvanistic and ungrateful. In fact, almost everyone is an asshole - or a wimp. Like poor, downtrodden Bob. Go show more ahead, call him names, he deserves it. He has no drive, no self confidence, and as little a life as he can manage.
Elizabeth Strout's characters always seem to be one or the other, but she's gone way out of the comfort zone with this one, enough maybe to make the reader wonder about their prejudices. Are all people assholes (or wimps)? Susan loves her son and is a hard worker and a good land lady. Zach loves his mom and cries in his room at night. Helen has raised competent, independent children. Pam strikes a spark in Bob and has scientific aspirations. The Somalis come from one hellish situation after another. They are colorful, hard working, close knit, supportive of each other and love their damaged homeland. And Jim, well, Jim is Jim. You still have to answer that question.
This is a great book that keeps you wondering about people and why they do what they do. I'm thinking maybe Jodi Picoult should read a little Elizabeth Strout before she creates another one dimensional character. And Strout needs to keep on nudging our brains with her prickly, nearly untouchable characters. show less

Elizabeth Strout’s The Burgess Boys occurs in Maine and post-9/11 New York City. Covering such a wide variety of topics like the Islamic faith, hate crimes, adultery, divorce, empty nest syndrome, and the messiness of being an adult, the story follows Jim, Bob and Susan Burgess as they come together for the first time in years to defend Susan’s son from a stupid but serious prank. The family dynamic is painful to observe, as they harbor years of ill-will and resentment towards each other and their shared family trauma. The reconnection forces them to reevaluate their lives, and the consequences of such internal contemplation are surprising and wide-spread.

Contemptible characters are necessary within any story, and it is possible to show more enjoy a story about such characters. Unfortunately, with The Burgess Boys, it is unclear whether Ms. Strout means for her characters to be so unenjoyable. Unenjoyable they are too as they each focus on their own biased, self-centered lifestyle. The tragic accident that took the life of their father explains some of their attitude, just as their fractious relationships with each other are nothing more than sibling rivalry. However, there is something off about each of them that makes it difficult for a reader to feeling anything but disgust at their general ill temper and superior attitudes. Jim is particularly prickly and arrogant towards everything and everybody, making it all too easy for a reader to feel satisfaction at any hardship he faces. Confusion remains as to whether Ms. Strout intends for these types of reader reactions, but the fact remains that it is difficult to like the Burgess siblings, making it equally tough to enjoy this character-driven novel.

It is always pleasurable to listen to Cassandra Clare as she narrates a story, and with The Burgess Boys, it is no different. In fact, it is a testament to her skill that she makes this mediocre novel more enjoyable. While she is not able to overcome the deficiencies of the characters, her performance does add an air of sympathy to them, something absent from the one-dimensional characters. In essence, Ms. Clare does as much as she can to increase a reader’s interest and generate some sympathy for characters which are faintly disgusting in their selfishness. One’s enjoyment, or lack thereof, of the novel has nothing to do with Ms. Clare’s excellent pacing, voice utilization, and performance, as hers is an example of a narrator improving an ordinary story.

Unfortunately, The Burgess Boys fails to impress with its story of family disharmony and personal growth. The siblings’ relationships, while they do change and improve, are just so disturbing in the beginning that it is difficult to sympathize with any of the issues they face. While Bob is the most sympathetic of the three, even his weakness or inability to stand up for himself against his overbearing and hyper-critical brother and sister is unsettling and difficult to stomach. Readers who can overcome these disquieting characters will find a pleasant enough story about complicated family relationships, but others will just find themselves wondering why they should care about such an overly negative family. show less