THE BURGESS BOYS

An influx of Somali refugees in Shirley Falls, Maine, creates racial tension. Burgess’s nephew, Zach, throws a bloody pig’s head into a mosque. When Zach faces prosecution for a hate crime, New York City attorneys Jim and Bob Burgess are called home to help their sister’s son. Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout’s psychological insights into the Burgess siblings, the Somalis, and the townspeople acquire substance in Cassandra Campbell’s artful delivery. Campbell’s performance is a subtle revelation. Her Down East accent never falls into the tempting trap of exaggeration, giving the salty flavor of Maine to local speakers, yet making one accent as different from another as class distinctions demand. Strout delves into family intricacies, tenuous connections, guilt, and unresolved childhood angers—and Campbell makes it all ring true. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2013]