The Life We Bury

Joe’s hometown of Austin is described as a blue-collar town: Many people work for the Spam factory, and there are more bars than people. Provide an analysis of Joe’s characterization of “Spam Town” at the start of Chapter 2 and the significance of these details. Why would Eskens include them?

Jeremy plays a central role in helping Lila and Joe crack the code of Crystal’s diary—and, subsequently, Carl’s case. Joe suggests that Jeremy’s autism plays a part which, in Jeremy's case, contributes to his adept pattern recognition. Beyond this point, explain the significance of Eskens’s choosing to make Jeremy autistic. Why was this necessary to the novel?

Why does Eskens highlight the play, The Glass Menagerie, and how does it develop Joe’s character in relation to themes of familial obligation, escaping one’s past, and guilt?