Life We Bury (Eskens)

The Life We Bury 
Allen Eskens, 2015
Prometheus Books
303 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781616149987


Summary
College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class. His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same.

Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran—and a convicted murderer. With only a few months to live, he has been medically paroled to a nursing home, after spending thirty years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder.

As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially Carl's valor in Vietnam, he cannot reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict. Joe, along with his skeptical female neighbor, throws himself into uncovering the truth, but he is hamstrung in his efforts by having to deal with his dangerously dysfunctional mother, the guilt of leaving his autistic brother vulnerable, and a haunting childhood memory.

Thread by thread, Joe unravels the tapestry of Carl’s conviction. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher. Will Joe discover the truth before it’s too late to escape the fallout. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1962-63
• Raised—Jefferson City, Missouri, USA
• Education—B.A., Minnesota State University; J.D., Hamline University
• Currently—lives in Cleveland, Minnesota


Allen Eskens has been a criminal defense attorney for twenty years. He honed his creative writing skills through the MFA program at Minnesota State University as well as classes at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. He is a member of the Twin Cities Sisters in Crime. The Guise of Another (2015) is his follow-up novel to The Life We Bury. (From the publisher.)

Book Reviews
Set against the backdrop of a brutal Minnesota winter, The Life We Bury is much more than a satisfying, suspenseful novel. This story kept me turning the pages, and it touched my heart. The characters are as real as my next-door neighbors, the story compelling, and the writing superb.
Suspense Magazine


(Starred review.) [A] masterful debut.... As Joe learns more about the events of [a decades-old] murder, he is faced with several threats to his own safety, yet refuses to give up his pursuit of the truth. More complications ensue, until the novel's satisfying resolution.
Publishers Weekly


Eskens’s first-person narration grabs the reader and never relinquishes its hold (Editor's Pick).
Library Journal


Eskens’ compulsively suspenseful first novel reveals that guilt takes many forms—and that getting the story right is essential.
BookPage


The tension builds to an all-stops-out finale that works on every level. Thriller fans should keep their eyes on Eskens; he’s a comer.
Booklist


A struggling student's English assignment turns into a mission to solve a 30-year-old murder.... Eskens' debut is a solid and thoughtful tale of a young man used to taking on burdens beyond his years—none more dangerous than championing a bitter old man convicted of a horrific crime.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. How did you experience the book? Were you immediately drawn into the story—or did it take you a while? Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, irritate, or frighten you?

2. What aspects of the novel did the author draw from to come up with the title for The Life We Bury?

3. Which character, if any, did you identify with the most? Why?

4. Was there a particular scene that resonated with you or stayed with you after you finished the novel?

5. How did you feel about the character of Carl Iverson when he was first introduced?

6. Would you say that the story is plot driven or character driven? In other words, do events unfold quickly? Or is more time spent developing characters' inner lives? Does it make a difference to your enjoyment?

7. How does guilt affect or influence the various characters?

8. What would you say are Joe's strongest character traits?

9. If you could change the character of Joe Talbert, what would you change?

(Questions from the author's website.)

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