I finished reading The Burgess Boys at the end of October and I am still not quite sure what I think of it. This book was recommended to me by a patron, and she loved it. I usually agree with her on most of her recommendations, but I had a really hard time getting through this book.
The Burgess Boys is the story of three siblings, Jim and Bob Burgess and their sister Susan who grew up in Maine. The story reveals how a horrible accident which killed their father when they were young, and which they witnessed, effected their relationships with each other, their mother, and others both during their childhood and as adults. Jim and Bob both moved away from home to live in New York as soon as they could. Susan's son got into terrible trouble and she begged her brothers, which are both lawyers, to come back to Maine to help him. The strained relationships between the siblings begin to unravel when they are forced to spend time together to work on a common problem.
Author, Elizabeth Strout, attempts to answer the question can sibling relationships formed in childhood be changed in adulthood?
I would not recommend this book for a relaxing, easy read. The Burgess Boys forces the reader to reassess their own family dynamics and the part they play in them.
Reviewed by Becky
Strout, E. (2013). The burgess boys. New York, NY: Random House.
Elizabeth Strout homepage
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