Book Review: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

Minnesota college student Joe Talbert has an ambitious writing assignment for his English class: to interview a stranger and write a short biography. Joe decides to visit a nursing home, where he meets Carl Iverson, a Vietnam veteran who is dying from late-stage cancer. Carl was recently granted medical parole from prison after serving over 30 years for the rape and murder of a young neighbor, a crime he insists he did not commit.

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As Joe develops a relationship with Carl, the veteran shares his experiences in Vietnam and the events leading up to his arrest and conviction. Joe begins to believe in Carl’s innocence and becomes determined to prove it. Joe and his friend Lila aggressively pursue the truth, but they face numerous obstacles. His unstable mother, her abusive boyfriend, and the responsibility of caring for his autistic brother all obstruct Joe’s efforts to prove Carl’s innocence.

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Impelled to overturn Carl’s conviction before his death, Joe faces a moral choice that underscores the personal sacrifice of seeking the truth, encouraging the audience to reflect on the cost of integrity.

Eskens does an excellent job of deceiving readers with the many unexpected twists and turns in the story. He leads us to believe in certain facts that ultimately are not what they seem, as we attempt to uncover the identity of the guilty person. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

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