The Life We Bury
byAllen Eskens
Grab a seat, this captivating thriller, a debut novel Allen Eskens, will sure take you on a ride. I was glued to this story! I should note that I'm giving this bonus points from a 4 up to a 5 because of the excellent narration by Zach Villa on audible which added soo much personality and color to the story, as well as this being one of the few thrillers I've read so the patterns and metaphors used were new to me.
The story follows, Joe Talbert a young college student who was working his way through school, taking care of himself and soon had a lot more on his plate as the story develops. He was given a term paper assignment to write about an elderly person, and choose to write about Carl Iverson, a dying Vietnam veteran and a convicted murderer.
Motivations to Read
I was in the mood for some mystery fiction after writing a blog post with some references to Sherlock Holmes. I had good things about the narration and structure for Eskens' debut novel.
3 Reasons to Read
- Well written mystery story.
- Gripping story of a college student who had to complete a writing assignment and wrote about a convicted murderer on his deathbed.
- Lessons on responsibility.
Notable Quotes
“What if I was wrong? What if there was no other side. What if, in all the eons of eternity, this was the one and only time that I would be alive. How would I live my life if that were the case?” Allen Eskens
“We are surrounded every day by the wonders of life, wonders beyond comprehension that we simply take for granted. I decided that day that I would live my life—not simply exist. If I died and discovered heaven on the other side, well, that'd be just fine and dandy. But if I didn't live my life as if I was already in heaven, and I died and found only nothingness, well…I would have wasted my life. I would have wasted my one chance in all of history to be alive.” Allen Eskens
“No sin could be greater than a sin that cannot be rectified, the sin you never get to confess.” Allen Eskens
The Life We Bury Notes & Summary
