“In literature, the unreliable narrator gets all of the attention—though far more interesting a creation is the truly unlikable narrator, to say nothing of one the reader still identifies and empathizes with, deeply. Such an animal is Olive Kitteridge, the heroine of Strout’s eponymous follow-up to her justly praised Amy & Isabelle. ”
Maryville Talks Books: One on One with Elizabeth Strout
HEC-TV: Maryville Talks Books: One on One with Elizabeth Strout
For Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Elizabeth Strout, writing is an "act of communication" between herself and her readers. Her new novel, "The Burgess Boys," continues that conversation with an unsettling look into the lives of siblings, their families, an immigrant haunted by loss, and the small town that ties them together.
One on One with Elizabeth Strout HEC-TV: Maryville Talks Books June 7, 2013
NPR: 'Burgess Boys' Author, Like Her Characters, Finds Refuge In New York
On a late winter afternoon, Strout visited Parke Slope, the Brooklyn neighborhood where much of the story is set. "This is Sixth Avenue, and Seventh Avenue is kind of like the Main Street of town, or it used to be," she says as the gray day fades into twilight.
It's been many years since Strout lived in Park Slope. But this is where she settled not long after she left Maine — a decision she says her family never really accepted.
'Burgess Boys' Author, Like Her Characters, Finds Refuge In New York NPR, All Things Considered Lynn Neary April 3, 2013
Politics & Prose: Elizabeth Strout "The Burgess Boys"
With the masterful storytelling and insight into character that won her a Pulitzer for Olive Kitteridge, Strout's new novel delves into the dynamics of the Burgess family.
One of the many things I like about writing is that I get to be sort of judgement free. Because in real life we're full of judgement, and to some extent we have to be because we have to make decisions about what's safe and what's not safe and how to live. But for me, to write a story or write a novel, you know, I make these people up, so I don't have to condemn them. I can watch them behave badly and love them!
—Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout "The Burgess Boys" Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C. April 2, 2013
The Diane Rehm Show: Elizabeth Strout: "The Burgess Boys: A Novel"
Main Street, Port Hope, Maine.
Image used under Creative Commons from Flickr user Kiril Strax
There's an incident that occurs that's based on something that really happened.… It was very interesting to me, because as a citizen, I mean, it's a reprehensible act, and I was very interested in what do we do as a society about that? What laws do we use, or what services do we use, you know, how does society respond to let people know this is not going to be tolerated.
—Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout: "The Burgess Boys: A Novel" Interview by Diane Rehm The Diane Rehm Show April 1, 2013