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. Bob, a Legal Aid attorney, idolizes Jim and has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan, urgently calls them home.
Susan's teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble and she desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood. Long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationships begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever.
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On a breezy October afternoon in the Park Slope neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, Helen Farber Burgess was packing for a vacation. 1
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(@simonschusterUK, 9 May 2013, 337 pages, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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I'm a fan of the author and The Burgess Boys has been on my TBR list for a while. This is an intense read at time as Jim and Bob are forced to face truth about their past and their father's death while trying to support their sister and nephew. I like how the book moves between the past and present. This is a gripping, compelling read. I'd recommend it.