Relationships with siblings can run the gamut between easy or very difficult.   In The Burgess Boys the relationships between Susan, Jim and Bob are both difficult and complicated.

Born in Shirley Falls, Maine they were raised by their mother who struggled financially and emotionally after their father was killed in a freak car accident.  Jim, the oldest always treated his siblings with disdain, especially Bob, but Bob who always idolized his older brother, took it in stride and tried to create a connection with his brother.  Jim and Bob escaped from Shirley Falls as soon as they were able, and both ended up in New York City, while their sister Susan remained in Shirley Falls, struggling to raise her own son, Zach, as a single mother.  Jim became corporate lawyer in large firm, while Bob worked as a lawyer for Legal Aid. Although they are not close, the brothers see each other once in awhile and communicate occasionally with their sister,.  All would have remained in this state of remote equilibrium except that Susan’s 14 year old son, Zach, is arrested for committing a hate crime in the local mosque in Shirley Falls.  In order to help their sister and nephew negotiate their way through the legal and political  morass after his arrest, Jim and Bob must return to Shirley Falls.  The return of the brothers to their hometown creates an opportunity for them to reveal and confront some unexpected truths that have been kept secret in their family and have affected their relationships to each other.

Stout has created some interesting characters in Bob and Jim. The dichotomy between the two bothers could not be more stark, and I think the demeaning nastiness with which Jim treats Bob made this a difficult read for me. Susan, almost until the very end seems to be a ghost person-unable to take any control over her life after her divorce. I found the characters from the mosque to be much more engaging, and their development in the process of trying to get justice for what happened at the mosque, insightful.

I think this book was difficult because I couldn’t quite identify with any of the characters, Jim was a jerk, Bob was pathetically unconfident, and Susan just whined.   But if you can get past that to the essence of this story which is that the stories our families tell us influence us more than we realize, and that family secrets are inherently destructive, then the character’s become more sympathetic and understandable.

Brenda’s Rating: *** (3 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Sharon and Keith

Book Study Worthy: Yes

Read in ebook format.