The Life We Bury is a work of fiction, but I couldn't help asking the question, "What is half a life spent behind bars?" Carl Iverson doesn't ask that question. 30 years behind the wall and now he is out, sort of. You see, he is spending his last few months on medical parole, dying of cancer in a nursing home. Did he murder his 14 year old neighbor all that time ago? It sure seems like it. But if he didn't, then how much more significant is that 30 years? 
 That question is not specifically asked in the book, and for the most part Iverson is a secondary character in this story. It centers around, and is narrated by Joe Talbert. Joe is a college student, but has at least two things in common with Carl. An uneasy life and a secret burden they each carry. It's easy to like Joe. He is the underdog putting himself through college. His mother is for shit, so Joe is the one who takes care of his younger, autistic brother where she leaves off, and that isn't far. 
 Joe happens upon Carl Iverson and his story by chance while looking to write a story of his own and thus fulfill a class assignment. But what seems simple and straightforward often isn't: 
 "When I finally fell asleep that night, I did so wrapped comfortably in the belief that my meeting with Carl Iverson would have no down side, that our encounter would somehow make my life better - easier. In hindsight, I was at best naive" 
 What Joe gets into, along with his neighbor and crush, Lila, is a crime from the past that may be compared to a few of the thousand other books in this category. What makes this one different are the makeup of the characters, and the reasons they each buried their pasts, hence the title of the book. If there was a drawback it was this: one too many perilous situations, and a slightly stretched ending. Otherwise, I recommend to those who like a crime novel with some meaning.