Joe Talvert

Joe Talvert is the protagonist and narrator of "The Life We Bury." A college student, Joe is a responsible young man who works hard to achieve an education, despite the inattention of his self-absorbed, alcoholic mother. He often puts the needs of Jeremy, his autistic brother, ahead of his own as he begrudgingly accepts the parental role that his mother neglects to fill.

Joe's story begins when he receives an assignment in his biography class which requires interviewing a older person. With his grandfather dead and his wish to avoid his mother, the young man visits a local retirement home to find a subject. The receptionist suggests that the only clear-minded resident is Carl Iverson, a convicted murderer released from prison because he is dying of cancer. Joe's mother calls him from jail after being arrested for a DUI, and Joe rushes off to pick up Jeremy...