The Life We Bury (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781616149987)

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?

Author: Allen Eskens
ISBN-10: 1616149981
ISBN-13: 9781616149987
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
Language: English
Published: 10/14/2014
Pages: 303
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.68lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 0.90d
Award: Edgar Allan Poe Awards - Nominee
Award: Thriller Awards - Finalist
Award: Minnesota Book Award - Finalist
Award: Anthony Awards - Nominee

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/15/2014
Booklist 10/15/2014 pg. 22
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2014