NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Includes Elizabeth Strout’s never-before-published essay about the origins of The Burgess BoysNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • NPR • Good HousekeepingElizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” wrote The New Yorker on the publication of her Pulitzer Prize–winning Olive Kitteridge. The San Francisco Chronicle … of her Pulitzer Prize–winning Olive Kitteridge. The San Francisco Chronicle praised Strout’s “magnificent gift for humanizing characters.” Now the acclaimed author returns with a stunning novel as powerful and moving as any work in contemporary literature.
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, Elizabeth Strout has brought to life two deeply human protagonists whose struggles and triumphs will resonate with readers long after they turn the final page. Tender, tough-minded, loving, and deeply illuminating about the ties that bind us to family and home, The Burgess Boys is Elizabeth Strout’s newest and perhaps most astonishing work of literary art.
Praise for The Burgess Boys
“What truly makes Strout exceptional . . . is the perfect balance she achieves between the tides of story and depths of feeling.”—Chicago Tribune
“Strout’s prose propels the story forward with moments of startlingly poetic clarity.”—The New Yorker
“Elizabeth Strout’s first two books, Abide with Me and Amy and Isabelle, were highly thought of, and her third, Olive Kitteridge, won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. But The Burgess Boys, her most recent novel, is her best yet.”—The Boston Globe
more
Have tried and tried to enjoy Strout’s writing but it leaves me cold. I appreciate her skills but stay depressed when I read her works.
Excellent read! Have recommended it many times.
Interesting story line with several unpredictable twists.
Elizabeth Strout (The Burgess Boys) portrays realistic characters but the relationships among them are always uniquely original. I value the unexpected nature of the story line as well.
Very well written absorbing family drama. Great characters. Tragic but not maudlin. One of the best I’ve read this year.
Fantastic characters, excellent writing.
Elizabeth Strout carefully developed her characters, mainly the siblings, for this novel. The family dysfunction was realistic, including how a family can live a lie for decades. Yet, in her story, she had them working together, out of love (sometimes begrudging love).
I loved Olive Kittredge, but not so much this one. I disliked being in the presence of some of the characters – indeed most of them. A rather ugly view of humanity.
The subplots and peripheral characters make the book interesting. And having the current Somali refugee situation be part of the plot made it fascinating.
This author doesn’t disappoint.
Very well written.
Good character development. Ended in an unusual way.
Couldn’t get into this book, the characters, or the story. Too depressing
Wonderful book! Great read.
A well written book about making mistakes and forgiveness. It kept me interested throughout.
Well written, wonderful character studies.
Great read although slow at times.
I did not enjoy this book.
You can’t go wrong with Elizabeth Strout. The characters in this book are so fully formed and complex, at times very unlikeable and yet they elicit compassion. Highly recommended.
I had not read anything by ElizabethStrout before, but will be sure to look for other books she wrote. The story is gripping, the characters are real people, . She reminds me of Anne Tyler. I loved the book.