What readers think of The Burgess Boys, plus links to write your own review.

The quick review: This is now one of my favorite books…ever. It is nearly perfect because of the brilliant way author Elizabeth Strout crafts the story. It is truly a masterpiece.

This is a tale about the Burgess family—three kids: Jim, Bob and Susan. They are grown now. Jim is a hotshot and famous attorney, who is married to Helen and living a life everyone envies. Bob, who is divorced but still best friends with his ex-wife, is also an attorney, but he has so many emotional issues and conflicts from a childhood tragedy that he is a low-power version of his big brother. Both live in New York City, having fled their home state of Maine. Susan, Bob's twin, is bitterly divorced and still lives in their small hometown of Shirley Falls, Maine, which is no longer the white enclave it once was. Somalis have been immigrating en masse, and many in town are having trouble adjusting to this significant population change. Susan's son, Zach, is 19 and troubled. Very troubled. He commits what he thinks is a prank, but others consider the act so evil it could be a hate crime.

While the plot—a classic us vs. them—is definitely engrossing, the genius of the story is rendered in the characters, the Burgess kids, their spouses and friends, as well as one of the Somalis in town. Each has his or her own subplot going on and together become a kind of mirror image of the themes of the main story: In so many ways, we are all strangers to one another. We are all in turmoil and distress. We hurt each other, sometimes on purpose and sometimes not, but we are all in need of welcome and love.

This beautifully written book is not only profoundly moving, but also an emotionally searing tale for our times.

After starting slowly, The Burgess Boys became quietly fascinating. I kept reading and reading until I finished it in just two days (with many life interruptions). Although I didn’t like Jim, he was spellbinding in his dysfunction. Bob, the much more likeable brother, was engaging in his own brand of dysfunction. Susan, and her son Zach, were simply damaged by life and therefore potentially damaging to everyone around them. The supporting characters were as carefully drawn as the main characters and compelling in their own way.
I appreciated the way Strout revealed her characters in drips and drabs, constantly leading you further into an understanding their emotions.
The incident that brought all the characters together was never fully explained – possibly because the perpetrator didn’t know – or even have – a reason. The incident that damaged the family was revealed in the ending, but could be inferred much earlier in the book.
This was a lovely book, well written and engaging. The family dynamics would lend themselves to an interesting group discussion. The two “incidents” would also generate discussion. Other topics useful for book groups are birth order, twins, divorce, unfaithfulness in marriage, women’s roles, race relations, criminal punishment, defense lawyers who defend those they know to be guilty and family roles.