We Begin at the End

 

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Fiction

2020 Henry Holt and Company

Finished on November 3, 2022

Rating: 5/5 (Excellent!)

Winner of the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel from the Crime Writers’ Association (UK)

Winner for Best International Crime Fiction from Australian Crime Writers Association

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

Publisher's Blurb:

There are two kinds of families: the ones we are born into and the ones we create. 

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released.

Duchess is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Her mother, Star, grew up with Walk and Vincent. Walk is in overdrive trying to protect them, but Vincent and Star seem bent on sliding deeper into self-destruction. Star always burned bright, but recently that light has dimmed, leaving Duchess to parent not only her mother but her five-year-old brother. At school the other kids make fun of Duchess―her clothes are torn, her hair a mess. But let them throw their sticks, because she’ll throw stones. Rules are for other people. She’s just trying to survive and keep her family together.

A fortysomething-year-old sheriff and a thirteen-year-old girl may not seem to have a lot in common. But they both have come to expect that people will disappoint you, loved ones will leave you, and if you open your heart it will be broken. So when trouble arrives with Vincent King, Walk and Duchess find they will be unable to do anything but usher it in, arms wide closed.

Chris Whitaker has written an extraordinary novel about people who deserve so much more than life serves them. At times devastating, with flashes of humor and hope throughout, it is ultimately an inspiring tale of how the human spirit prevails and how, in the end, love―in all its different guises―wins.

This book! I went into it completely cold, not even glancing at the publisher's blurb, but relying solely on the rave reviews of my fellow bloggers. I was not disappointed, and it will most definitely wind up on my Best of 2022 list. We Begin at the End took my breath away, made me angry, tugged at my heartstrings, and made me cry. I loved it. I loved the characters, who crawled into my subconscious, invading my dreams, lingering long after I finished reading. Duchess is one tough girl, swearing up a storm and prepared to take on anyone who threatens her family, especially her five-year-old brother, Robin. 

Part mystery, part coming-of-age, I was reminded of other deeply affecting novels with their tough, scrappy heroes, and kindness (and love) of strangers: Eventide (Kent Harruf), The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley (Hannah Tinti), The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) and The Homecoming of Samuel Lake (Jenny Wingfield). I loved the way Duchess grew as a character, learning to trust (and even love) those who opened their hearts and homes to her, in spite of her brittle and caustic personality.

Duchess just stared. Some days, mean and tough was hard to locate.

We Begin at the End is not an easy read. In addition to the profanity (which is not gratuitous), there is a fair amount of violence coupled with heartbreaking grief. And yet, this is an extraordinary novel that I won't easily forget. I'm already thinking about a second reading, while hoping for a sequel. 

See what others have to say:

I LOVED this book. From the riveting plot to the beautiful writing. But mostly what kept me longing to get back to it each day were the characters, especially young Duchess. Fierce, brave, vulnerable, she leaps off the page fully formed. As does Walk. How aptly named. A chief of police on his own inexorable journey. This is a book to be read and reread and an author to be celebrated. ~Louise Penny

Two damaged children--one timid and sweet, the other foul-mouthed and furious--will break readers' hearts in this well-plotted and perfectly paced novel. If, like me, you love stories that kidnap your intended schedule because you can't not keep turning the pages, then I wholeheartedly recommend Chris Whitaker's We Begin at the End. ~Wally Lamb