BOOK REVIEW: The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
Powerful and quick little crime story that is definitely worth the read!
What an unexpected surprise this was. I was intrigued from the blurb, but once I got into it, I was hooked immediately. I loved almost everything about this little mystery/thriller that snuck its way into my Audible library.
This was the first time I had heard of this book and my first read by this author, and I can confidently say that I will read more by him in the future. I loved the descriptive writing style and the slow build up to critical moments that created the anticipation to those final discoveries. There were only a few twists and turns, but they were done well and in the midst of critical scenes. It was just really well done.
So the quick summary goes something like this: Joe is a struggling student at Minnesota who escaped to this tiny little apartment to escape the demands of his alcoholic mother. But, the protection instincts for his autistic brother cause him to give in more than he should. As a class assignment, Joe finds himself at a local nursing home looking to interview someone to write their story. Enter Carl, a war veteran and convicted child killer who has been released from prison to the nursing home for his final months of life due to his terminal cancer. Through the interviews, Carl proclaims his innocence in the 30 year old murder. Joe, with his neighbor, Lila, partake in their own investigation of Crystal Marie Hagen’s death.
While I loved the blend of Joe’s family issues with the murder mystery that these two have no clue about, the one aspect that seemed a little forced was the subtle romance between Lila and joe. It’s not that I didn’t like it, and through their growing friendship, Lila opens up and you learn a lot about how the past impacts the future. There is a symbolic parallel there with Carl’s story. Which you see through his military friend who shares some important information about their time in Vietnam.
That you understand how wrong it is to judge someone before you know their whole story.
I really did love the murder mystery story. How the pieces of the story came about and the order in which Joe and Lila found new clues was so well done. It was just perfect little doses. The creation of doubt in Joe’s guilt was like this slow growing amoeba, and I found myself going back and forth. I guess I figured based on the concept that Carl would be innocent, but there were these moments and then you see what Joe and Lila are seeing. You slowly learn more about Crystal, her boyfriend at the time and her dysfunctional family. There are a few different possible suspects, if you were to believe Carl’s claim of innocence.
The characters were well developed, and I loved every single interaction Joe had with his brother, Jeremy. I wanted to throat punch his mother though. But, I just couldn’t help but love the characters, including Carl. They were created with a clear vision of what type of person they were going to be. I ended up loving Carl, and I so wanted him to be innocent…no spoilers, read the book if you want to learn what really happened Crystal.
The final climatic moments of the story were way more intense than what the style and structure up to that point might have alluded to. It was like this perfectly paced, really well written story, characters, conflict and then - Bam! - you are going 90 miles an hour. It was really good. The tone and moods shifts effective mirrored what the conflict was building to and what the characters were feeling.
I drew in a breath of crisp December air and stood perfectly still, savoring the feel, the sound, and the smell of the world around me, sensations that would have passed by me unnoticed had I never met Carl Iverson.
Where does this land on my bookshelf?
Easily on the top shelf. And to think, it was just a free audiobook with my audible membership. The characters had depth to them, and I’m really big on character development and character-driven stories. There was an authenticity to their nature. Joe’s fierce love for his brother and his willingness to sacrifice for him is powerful. His developing commitment to discover the truth and to ensuring his success before Carl dies is equally powerful. There was just a lot I loved about this book, especially since I don’t read a lot of crime type books. I definitely recommend this one. I was hooked.
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