Friday, November 7, 2014

The Life We Bury



The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens


If you like a little mystery, a little search for redemption, a little angst, you’ll like this book by Allen Eskens. 

Joe is a college student.  He worked and fought hard to get and stay there. Most of his fight was getting out of his house.  His mother won’t win Mother of the Year in any lifetime.  His younger brother Jeremy is autistic and has no way out of his mother’s grasp except through Joe.  But Joe wants his own life.

One of his college English assignments is to write someone’s biography.  He  visits a nursing home and chooses Carl Iverson, a convicted murderer who served 30 years for his crime until he was so far gone with cancer he was sent to a nursing home for end of life care.

Carl and Joe agree at this point, only the truth works.  Joe has to go first or Carl won’t play.  Joe has buried deep in himself a part of his life that tortures his sleep, but for the first time in his life, he confides in someone and that someone is Carl.   Carl’s turn.  He starts to talk and the life he has buried is also torturous.  Joe gains access to Carl’s trial transcripts and files and with the help of a neighbor/friend he finds discrepancies in the evidence, Carl’s story and the truth.   Being young, idealistic and looking for redemption he brings the new evidence to light, putting his own life in danger.

This was a good story.  One that kept me up for a few nights way past my bedtime.  But it was worth it.

2 comments:

  1. Again, this sounds like an interesting read, but somewhat harrowing too.

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  2. That is exactly what I would read into the wee hours too! Another one on my list. Quick question, are these on iBooks? Have you read on the iPad? It's just that I may need to do this or I will be buried under many tomes!

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