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Dramatic,
Addictive,
Interesting

64 reviews

The Life We Bury
by Allen Eskens

Published: 2014-10-14
Paperback : 303 pages
190 members reading this now
347 clubs reading this now
77 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 60 of 64 members
A USA Today bestseller and book club favorite! 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 ...
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Introduction

A USA Today bestseller and book club favorite! 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?

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

From the author:


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?

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

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

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

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

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?

How does guilt affect or influence the various characters?

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

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

Suggested by Members

Compare this story with the story of The Glass Menagerie.
The Innocence Project works to gain exoneration of wrongly convicted persons. Discuss Carl's case and other real cases.
Discuss what each character buried in his or her life.
by ccroft78248 (see profile) 01/02/17

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by Smokygirl (see profile) 05/13/16

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

WINNER! Left Coast Crime Rosebud Award, BEST DEBUT MYSTERY

WINNER! Barry Award, BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

WINNER! Silver Falchion Award, BEST FIRST NOVEL: traditional

2015 Edgar® Award Finalist, BEST FIRST NOVEL

Minnesota Book Award Finalist, BEST GENRE NOVEL

Anthony Award Finalist, BEST FIRST NOVEL

ITW Thriller Awards Finalist, BEST FIRST NOVEL

MysteryPeople 2014 BEST DEBUT NOVEL

Suspense Magazine BEST BOOKS OF 2014/DEBUT AUTHOR

PRAISE FOR THE LIFE WE BURY:

"Thriller fans should keep their eyes on Eskens; he's a comer." --BOOKLIST

"Compulsively suspenseful." --BOOKPAGE

"[A] masterful debut...." --PW STARRED REVIEW

"An intelligent and compelling story with characters that will capture you from the start.... This debut novel never lets the reader off the edge of the seat--the mark of a great story."

--THE BIG THRILL

"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

"Eskens delivers interesting puzzles, clever problem-solving, and plenty of stay-up-all-night-reading suspense." --REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE

"Eskens's first-person narration grabs the reader and never relinquishes its hold."

--LIBRARY JOURNAL EDITOR'S FALL PICK

Book Club Recommendations

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
by Kathleen K. (see profile) 12/02/24

It was taken in pretty quickly and finished in 2 days. I was rooting for the truth to emerge and for the characters to heal or at least find peace and courage to accept their past and move forward

 
by Pam M. (see profile) 12/23/22

 
by Tracy M. (see profile) 09/30/22

 
by Gale G. (see profile) 05/01/22

 
by Michelle C. (see profile) 01/24/22

 
by Jana W. (see profile) 11/14/21

 
by Patti G. (see profile) 02/24/21

Loved it! It was addictive making me want to keep reading!

 
by Katie S. (see profile) 02/23/21

 
by liz r. (see profile) 02/22/21

Loved it! Was hooked immediately!

 
by Joan B. (see profile) 02/07/21

It was fun to see the changes in Joe as the book progressed. He started out by procrastinating and thinking he was taking the easy way out by finding someone old at a nursing home. That made... (read more)

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