Suffice it to say I that I was impressed the author managed to fit so much into 8.5 hours of listening time. This book covers a lot of ground including alcoholism, autism, rape, murder, prison, cancer, hospice, Vietnam, PTSD, and young love. The narrator was really good, perfect choice for the voice of Joe. The relationship between Joe and his brother was really sweet and added a layer to the story that made it all that much more worth listening to. They both had some baggage, but neither one of them let it get them down much, or if they did, admitted to themselves they were doing it and accepted that. The same is true with the girl who lived next door to him. I bought the book because it takes place in Minnesota, where I grew up, and where else am I going to read, 'The tufts of hair stood out of my head in all directions, like I'd been cowlicked by a drunken heifer' but in a book taking place in the midwest? The main character, Joe, was likable from the beginning, he just had this authentic feel to him, and when I found out his backstory, I liked him even more.

But the mystery was good, kept me listening (on 1.5 speed). I usually stick with cozy mysteries because I don't like the violence in normal ones, and this one does get pretty graphic. Will Joe discover the truth before it's too late to escape the fallout?įor a bargain book, this was pretty good. But as he and Lila dig deeper into the circumstances of the crime, the stakes grow higher.

Thread by thread, he begins to unravel the tapestry of Carl's conviction. Aided by his skeptical neighbor, Lila, Joe throws himself into uncovering the truth. 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.Īs 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. Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran-and a convicted murderer. There he meets Carl Iverson, and soon nothing in Joe's life is ever the same. With deadlines looming, Joe heads to a nearby nursing home to find a willing subject.

His task is to interview a stranger and write a brief biography of the person. College student Joe Talbert has the modest goal of completing a writing assignment for an English class.

The life we bury novel