Since I am an Elizabeth Strout fan and these Burgess brothers keep popping up in some of her other books, I finally got around to reading the backstory on these boys. Lucy by the Sea is the one I read most recently and loved. Bob Burgess (and Margaret) play a significant role in that book. Strout is a master at making characters come alive in all their flawed humanity.
This story has an unspeakable tragedy running like an undercurrent beneath it. All of the family members have become enmeshed with who they are and what roles they play, in relation to this trauma. When the correct version of what actually happened finally comes out, it’s almost impossible to disentangle truth from fiction and the ending causes the reader to reflect and rethink the whole book with regards to the family relationships. Suddenly the book morphs from being a simple family saga, to being a bold examination of the long-term impact of guilt, lies, and people’s motives.
I enjoyed this book because of the author’s writing, and to complete her backlist, but I didn’t love it as much as her Lucy Barton series and the Olive Kitteridge books.
Joanne's Reading Blog 