College welcomes author Allen Eskens to discuss his debut novel, The Life We Bury

October 11, 2016

Anoka-Ramsey Community College invites the public to hear Allen Eskens read from and discuss his debut novel, The Life We Bury, Thursday, Oct. 27, noon to 1 pm, Cambridge Campus Rm G202. The public is invited to this free event.

Eskens’s Facebook page has a steady stream of posts from fans praising his writing such as:

“I read The Life We Bury on a recent plane trip. I couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading more of your work. Thank you for an excellent story.”

“Just finished The Life We Bury.’ Loved it! Expected to find a long list of other books authored so was very surprised to see this was the first! You're going to give David Baldacci a run for his money if you keep writing. Which I hope you do!”

The Life We Bury tells the story of Joe Talbert, a junior at the University of Minnesota, who receives a class assignment to write a biography of someone who has lived an interesting life. At a nursing home he meets Carl Iverson, a man dying of cancer who has been medically paroled after spending thirty years in prison for the murder of a fourteen-year-old girl. Carl agrees to tell Joe his story, and Joe sets out to unravel the tapestry of the thirty-year-old murder.

To complicate things, Joe's bi-polar, alcoholic mother has taken up with a low-life who hits Joe's eighteen-year-old autistic brother. Joe is torn by the guilt of going to college and abandoning his brother. Throughout the novel, Joe has to intercede to protect his brother and is conflicted every time he has to again leave his brother behind. The power of that guilt weighs heavily upon Joe and will demand a resolution of its own.

The popular novel has been published in 16 languages and is currently being developed for a feature film.

Eskens holds a journalism degree from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from Hamline University. After law school, he studied creative writing in the master of fine arts (MFA) program at Minnesota State University-Mankato, the Loft Literary Center and the Iowa Summer Writer’s Festival. He now lives with his wife, Joely, in out-state Minnesota where he has been a practicing criminal defense attorney for 25 years.

For more information on Allen Eskens and his upcoming novels visit: http://alleneskens.com

Reading and Discussion with:
Author Allen Eskens The Life We Bury
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016
Noon to 1 pm
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge Campus
Rm G202

This event is free and open to the public.