Elizabeth Strout's The Burgess Boys
Strout--author most recently of the multiple-award-winning Olive Kitteridge--writes great books about small towns and dysfunctional families, and this book features both. It centers on the Burgess family, in particular the titular brothers, raised in small-town Maine and now both lawyers in New York (though different kinds of lawyers--one is a famous criminal defense lawyer, the other works for Legal Aid) and what happens when their nephew commits a hate crime against the Muslim Somali population in their hometown. In general a strong story, and I think it'll be popular, but parts worked less well for me (in particular, one brother's spectacular flame-out, and reactions to the nephew's crime). But for the most part, the characters are vividly captures--I haven't even mentioned the two women who are just as much a part of things as the brothers, who are both interesting and vulnerable. I liked this a lot, I just wonder if things worked out too easily, and look forward to discussing it (I might make my book group read this). A-.
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A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in March.
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