The Life We Bury
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?
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?
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Life We Bury* by Allen Eskens offers a compelling mystery with well-developed characters and engaging writing, enhanced by strong nar...
Thru at least halfway thru this book it was a solid five stars. Somewhere after the halfway mark, the shift of focus was not only less enjoyable, but often implausible. The narrator; however, did a very nice job.
thenextgoodbook.com
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
300 pages
What’s it about?
Joe Talbert is a University of Minnesota college student with a complicated family life. Behind on a college assignment he decides to write the biography of a convicted murderer named Carl Iverson. Has he learns more about Carl he is slowly drawn into the circumstances of the crime. Who really committed the murder back in 1980? Was it Carl or someone else?
What did I think?
Unintentionally, I find I am reading one good first novel after another! This was a really good suspense thriller. A few times I had to check by disbelief, but in general I found the pages just flew by.
Should you read it?
Absolutely! This novel has crime, suspense, and romance- what more could you ask for in a page turner?
Quote-
“The idea of interviewing a murderer didn’t sit well with me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I warmed up to it. I had put off starting this project for too long. September was almost over and I’d have to turn in my interview notes in a few weeks. My classmates had their horses out of the staring gate and my nag was still back in the barn munching on hay. Carl Iverson would have to be my subject- if he agreed.”
If you like this try-
The Hand That feeds you by A.J. Rich
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
300 pages
What’s it about?
Joe Talbert is a University of Minnesota college student with a complicated family life. Behind on a college assignment he decides to write the biography of a convicted murderer named Carl Iverson. Has he learns more about Carl he is slowly drawn into the circumstances of the crime. Who really committed the murder back in 1980? Was it Carl or someone else?
What did I think?
Unintentionally, I find I am reading one good first novel after another! This was a really good suspense thriller. A few times I had to check by disbelief, but in general I found the pages just flew by.
Should you read it?
Absolutely! This novel has crime, suspense, and romance- what more could you ask for in a page turner?
Quote-
“The idea of interviewing a murderer didn’t sit well with me at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I warmed up to it. I had put off starting this project for too long. September was almost over and I’d have to turn in my interview notes in a few weeks. My classmates had their horses out of the staring gate and my nag was still back in the barn munching on hay. Carl Iverson would have to be my subject- if he agreed.”
If you like this try-
The Hand That feeds you by A.J. Rich
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
What sets out as a college student completing a writing assignment turns out to be much more. Joe Talbert has a deadline to meet; write a brief biography on a stranger. Joe heads to the local nursing home to find a willing candidate. There he meets Carl Iverson, a dying Vietnam vet and a convicted felon who has been medically paroled after spending 30 years in prison for the crimes of rape and murder. Carl promises to tell the truth to Joe. As Joe writes about Carl's life, especially his time in Vietnam, he has a hard time reconciling that the Carl from Vietnam is the same Carl convicted of these horrific crimes. With the help of his skeptical neighbor, Lila, Joe begins to dig deeper into Carl's past to uncover the truth about what really happened all those years ago.
This is a well written story, it is suspensful with well thought out characters. I liked how Carl's Vietnam story weaves into his present day. Joe also has a childhood memory along with a dysfunctional family which shape his character.
This is a well written story, it is suspensful with well thought out characters. I liked how Carl's Vietnam story weaves into his present day. Joe also has a childhood memory along with a dysfunctional family which shape his character.
Solid 4.0 stars. Listened to this- narrator so good. Loved the story. Joe POV/narration is compelling, the quiet resignation of Carlos is heart breaking, and compunction of the mother was harrowing. Just great. Didn't need as many twists and turns, but well done. Will give #2 a go.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.