The Burgess Boys A Novel

NEWYORKTIMESBESTSELLER•IncludesElizabethStrout’snever-before-publishedessayabouttheoriginsofTheBurgessBoysNAMEDONEOFTHEBESTBOOKSOFTHEYEARBYTheWashingtonPost•NPR•GoodHousekeepingElizabethStrout“animatestheordinarywithanastonishingforce，”wroteTheNewYorkeronthepublicationofherPulitzerPrize–winningOliveKitteridge.TheSanFranciscoChroniclepraisedStrout’s“magnificentgiftforhumanizingcharacters.”Nowtheacclaimedauthorreturnswithastunningnovelaspowerfulandmovingasanyworkincontemporaryliterature.Hauntedbythefreakaccidentthatkilledtheirfatherwhentheywerechildren，JimandBobBurgessescapedfromtheirMainehometownofShirleyFallsforNewYorkCityassoonastheypossiblycould.Jim，asleek，successfulcorporatelawyer，hasbelittledhisbigheartedbrothertheirwholelives，andBob，aLegalAidattorneywhoidolizesJim，hasalwaystakenitinstride.Buttheirlong-standingdynamicisupendedwhentheirsister，Susan—theBurgesssiblingwhostayedbehind—urgentlycallsthemhome.Herlonelyteenageson，Zach，hasgottenhimselfintoaworldoftrouble，andSusandesperatelyneedstheirhelp.AndsotheBurgessbrothersreturntothelandscapeoftheirchildhood，wherethelong-buriedtensionsthathaveshapedandshadowedtheirrelationshipbegintosurfaceinunexpectedwaysthatwillchangethemforever.Withararecombinationofbrilliantstorytelling，exquisiteprose，andremarkableinsightintocharacter，ElizabethStrouthasbroughttolifetwodeeplyhumanprotagonistswhosestrugglesandtriumphswillresonatewithreaderslongaftertheyturnthefinalpage.Tender，tough-minded，loving，anddeeplyilluminatingaboutthetiesthatbindustofamilyandhome，TheBurgessBoysisElizabethStrout’snewestandperhapsmostastonishingworkofliteraryart.Lookforspecialfeaturesinside.JointheRandomHouseReader’sCircleforauthorchatsandmore.“WhattrulymakesStroutexceptional...istheperfectbalancesheachievesbetweenthetidesofstoryanddepthsoffeeling.”—ChicagoTribune“Strout’sprosepropelsthestoryforwardwithmomentsofstartlinglypoeticclarity.”—TheNewYorker“ElizabethStrout’sfirsttwobooks，AbidewithMeandAmyandIsabelle，werehighlythoughtof，andherthird，OliveKitteridge，wonthePulitzerPrizeinfiction.ButTheBurgessBoys，hermostrecentnovel，isherbestyet.”—TheBostonGlobe“AportraitofanAmericancommunityinturmoilthat’sasambitiousasPhilipRoth’sAmericanPastoralbutmoreintimateintone.”—Time“[Strout’s]extraordinarynarrativegiftsareevidentagain....Attimes[TheBurgessBoysis]almosteffortlesslyfluid，withsuperblyrendereddialogue，suddenandunexpectedboltsofhumorand...startlingriffsofgrippingemotion.”—AssociatedPress“[Strout]isathermasterfulbestwhenconjuringthetwoBurgessboys....Scenesbetweenthemringsotrue.”—SanFranciscoChronicle