The Burgess Boys

Elizabeth Strout’s novel The Burgess Boys, published in 2013, explores the relationships between adult siblings during a time of family crisis. It examines the ways that past events and traumas continue to shape one’s sense of self. Set amid a Somali refugee crisis in the state of Maine, it also explores the ways that identity forms community and the way that community can be affected by newcomers.

The author of 10 novels, Strout is acclaimed for her exploration of family relationships among characters of all ages; her novels are frequently set in her native Maine. The Burgess Boys was named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post and NPR. Strout’s 2008 novel  Olive Kitteridge received the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, was a National Book Critics Circle finalist, and was named Book of the Year by numerous publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and The Chicago Tribune. It was subsequently adapted as a mini-series by HBO.

This guide refers to the 2014 paperback edition, published by Random House.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of substance use, mental illness, death, racism, pregnancy loss, and cursing.

Plot Summary

The Burgess family hails from Shirley Falls, Maine. The oldest sibling, Jim, is a successful defense attorney who gained national acclaim after securing an acquittal for a famous client—a singer named Wally Packer. Jim and his wife, Helen, live in Manhattan; Jim’s younger brother, Bob, lives nearby and also holds a law degree. The siblings’ lives have been shaped by the death of their father, who, after parking his car on a hill with his three children inside, exited to inspect something. Four-year-old Bob subsequently shifted the car into gear, accidentally killing his father. Discussion of this incident became immediately taboo, but Bob assumes the need to punish himself daily. The narrative shifts between several third-person points of view.

The plot is set in motion when Jim receives a phone call from his sister, Susan, Bob’s twin who lives in Shirley Falls. Her 19-year-old son, Zachary (“Zach”), has been arrested after throwing the severed head of a pig into a local mosque. Shirely Falls has recently experienced an influx of Somali immigrants seeking refuge from the devastating civil war in Somalia. Their reception has been mixed, and Susan fears that Zach’s actions will be punished severely. She begs for Jim’s help in Zach’s legal defense. Jim and Helen plan to leave on a vacation to St. Kits with Jim’s colleague Alan and Alan’s wife, Dorothy. Jim sends Bob to Maine in his stead and makes arrangements for a defense attorney to aid Zach.

Bob travels to Maine in Jim’s car and finds Susan frantic. Zach will not speak to him, and Bob can do little but sit beside Susan while Zach is first questioned by police and then processed at the local jail for a misdemeanor. Bob remains in Maine for a few days; Susan and Zach go about their lives while Bob drinks wine, smokes, and takes sleeping pills—his familiar coping methods for dealing with his constant anxiety. His trip is cut short when, as he backs out of a liquor store parking space, a Somali woman accuses him of nearly striking her with his car. Bob flies back to Manhattan, leaving Jim’s car behind.

In St. Kits, Helen grows increasingly frustrated that Jim abandons her for golf, leaving her to socialize with Dorothy. Jim is angered when phone calls from Bob come in, pleading for Jim’s help. A hearing for Zach has been scheduled, and there is talk that he may be charged with more than a misdemeanor. The religious leaders in Shirley Falls have decided to hold a rally as a sign of support for the Somali community. The Burgess family fears that this will increase animosity toward Zach.

As the hearing approaches, Jim decides that he will speak at the rally alongside the state’s attorney general and the governor. Because Jim has connections to the attorney general, Susan hopes that this will weigh favorably in Zach’s case. Jim and Bob travel to Maine to attend the rally and retrieve Jim’s car. Throughout the trip, Jim is cruel to Bob, berating him for failing to handle Zach’s case effectively when he was present in Maine earlier. Bob expects this, as he and Susan know that Jim is the only one capable of handling problems effectively.

Once in Shirley Falls, Jim and Bob bring Zach to stay in a hotel with them, fearful of possible attacks on him on the eve of the rally. He opens up a bit to his uncles, explaining that he has no animosity toward the Somalis but that his father, who lives in Sweden and with whom Zach has very little contact, despises them. Jim later tells Bob that he is certain that the stunt was an attempt on Zach’s part to gain his father’s attention and approval.

The rally is well attended, peaceful, and deemed a success. Jim speaks but leaves immediately afterward. He is certain, however, that the district attorney’s office will not proceed in charging Zach with a civil rights violation. Things unravel quickly, however, after Bob and Jim’s departure: Zach unexpectedly loses his job, and the district attorney’s office proceeds with the civil rights violation charge. There are rumors, too, that the federal government could also charge him with a hate crime. Jim makes plans to return to Maine.

Abdikarim was present in the mosque when Zach threw the pig’s head inside, and he expects to be called as a witness in Zach’s hearing. He is unsure of what he will say. Bob and his ex-wife, Pam Carlson, have drinks frequently: Their marriage ended when they discovered that Bob was the reason why they were unable to have children. Pam provides an outsider’s view of the Burgess family.

Bob and Jim both attend the hearing, at which Zach is found guilty of a civil rights violation. Zach is given probation, and the judge warns that violating the terms could result in jail time. That night at the hotel, Jim drinks excessively, which is atypical. He tells Bob that it was he, not Bob, who shifted the car into gear and struck their father. He asserts that when their mother appeared, Jim lied and told her that Bob had been sitting in the driver’s seat.

Bob and Jim drive back to New York. Certain that Jim was merely making outrageous claims the night before because he was drunk, Bob confronts Jim about his confession. Jim insists that it is true. The family learns that the federal government does indeed plan to charge Zach with a hate crime. Suddenly, Susan calls to say that Zach is missing.

Helen, Jim, and Bob return to Maine; Susan is frantic, but Jim is reluctant to involve the police due to Zach’s legal situation. There is little they can do to console Susan. A day later, however, Zach calls: He is in Sweden with his father.

Back in New York, Bob makes small changes: He moves to a nicer apartment and gradually ceases his dependence on substances. Susan, initially lost without Zach, also takes steps to improve her life once she sees that he is thriving in Sweden. Zach’s lawyer successfully files delays on his trial, and ultimately, the federal charges are dropped. Meanwhile, Helen and Jim’s marriage worsens as Helen grows increasingly frustrated with the lack of attention that Jim pays her. Within a few months, Jim’s circumstances go from bad to worse when a female employee threatens to file sexual harassment charges against him. Jim confesses to having an affair with the woman, and a monetary settlement is reached. His law partner, however, convinces Jim to leave the firm; Helen refuses to allow him to live in their house.

Jim takes a job teaching at a small college upstate. Bob—who has not seen Jim in months, due in large part to Jim angrily ordering Bob out of his life—travels there and finds a drunken, depressed version of his brother. Bob tries to convince Jim to fix his life, but Jim only cracks sarcastic jokes. When Susan calls to say that Zach is coming back from Sweden and has requested to visit with his uncles, Bob convinces Jim to take another trip to Maine.

Arriving in Maine, they find Susan completely changed: cooking healthy meals and making plans to explore new-found hobbies. Like Bob, she is no longer a bundle of anxiety and inaction. The next day, the three travel to the bus station to pick up Zach. While Jim wanders about, Bob tells Susan that Jim is the one who accidentally killed their father. They agree that they will likely never know the exact truth of what happened that day. Bob convinces Jim to buy a bus ticket back to New York City and try to reconcile with Helen. He and Susan welcome Zach back.