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A review by katyisreading
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have put off reviewing this book because I can't decide how I feel about it. We Begin at the End is part mystery part literary fiction. It follows Walk, a local policeman in a small California town and Duchess, the 13-year-old daughter of Walk's childhood friend Star. When Walk and Star's friend Vincent is released from jail after 30 years, Walk has to defend him from new accusations (that's the mystery part) while Duchess works to take care of her little brother.
We Begin at the End did not feel fleshed out enough for me, and there are a few things (listed below) that bothered me to the point that I could not enjoy it. That being said, I think if you don't sweat the small stuff and you're a lover of literary fiction, you will probably like this. Duchess's character and story arc are heartbreaking and the "mystery" aspect of the book did hold some suspense, especially at the end.
The has an interesting plot, but the majority of the book focuses on the characters. Despite the amount of time given to them, I struggled to connect to them beyond the stereotypes that I felt were playing out: small-town cop, beautiful drug addict, old-for-her-years teenager. The book touches on a variety of issues: the brutality of the American prison system, lying cops, drug addiction, gun violence, and more. But none of them were properly explored. When I found out the author was British, I questioned why he felt the need to set his book in the US. There were strange undertones of politics that felt ripped from the headlines, like a random mention of the Keystone Pipeline and how it would "bring jobs to the area" (this coming from a 13-year-old girl who doesn't seem like the type who would read the news). It all just felt a little off to me, to the point that I struggled to enjoy the book.
We Begin at the End did not feel fleshed out enough for me, and there are a few things (listed below) that bothered me to the point that I could not enjoy it. That being said, I think if you don't sweat the small stuff and you're a lover of literary fiction, you will probably like this. Duchess's character and story arc are heartbreaking and the "mystery" aspect of the book did hold some suspense, especially at the end.
The has an interesting plot, but the majority of the book focuses on the characters. Despite the amount of time given to them, I struggled to connect to them beyond the stereotypes that I felt were playing out: small-town cop, beautiful drug addict, old-for-her-years teenager. The book touches on a variety of issues: the brutality of the American prison system, lying cops, drug addiction, gun violence, and more. But none of them were properly explored. When I found out the author was British, I questioned why he felt the need to set his book in the US. There were strange undertones of politics that felt ripped from the headlines, like a random mention of the Keystone Pipeline and how it would "bring jobs to the area" (this coming from a 13-year-old girl who doesn't seem like the type who would read the news). It all just felt a little off to me, to the point that I struggled to enjoy the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Death
Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Gun violence