Discussion Questions for “The Life We Bury”

The All Good Books group will discuss Allen Eskens’ novel The Life We Bury this Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 7 PM on Zoom.

Possible discussion questions follow:

1. How would you summarize “The Life We Bury” to a friend without giving away the ending or other important events?
2. Would you have interviewed a murderer as Joe Talbert did? Why or why not?
3. How would you describe the main characters in the book? Joe Talbert, Carl Iverson, L. Nash, Jeremy Naylor, Kathy Nelson, Mary Lorngren, Grandpa Bill, Crystal Hagen, Dan Lockwood, Doug Lockwood, Max Rupert, Andy Fisher.
4. As you read the novel, did you find the characters unique or stereotypes? Believable or implausible? Was the plot believable, predictable, unexpected, or implausible?
5. Were there concepts, ideas, people or events in the book that you researched further beyond what was indicated in the novel? Did you look up any of the following? The Innocence Project, Pascal’s gambit, Occam’s razor, Dying declaration, Jeffrey Dahmer, the Donner party, Romanesque Revival, or BOLO?
6. In a conversation between Joe Talbert and Carl Iverson the question of “killing” vs. “murdering“ is raised. Is there a difference?
7. What did you think the novel’s title indicated about the story and its characters? Whose was the life that was buried and what was buried?
8. Was there an event or happening in the novel that “stuck with you” or was particularly memorable?
9. Is guilt a character in the novel? Explain your response.
10. Why do you think Carl Iverson watched the girl next door so closely? Is his motivation ever explained in the novel?
11. What is Hillview Manor? How is it described? Does that description match your experiences?
12. Would you read another murder mystery by Allen Eskens? Explain.

Advertisement

The Life We Bury – September Discussion

The All Good Books discussion group will meet on Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 7 PM to discuss The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. The publisher’s description follows:

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?

Discussion questions will be posted closer to the meeting.