I think I was an outlier with this one, but that's the great part about reading. We can all read the very same book and have very different reactions. This book got on my reading radar when I started seeing it all over #bookstagram. I am easily influenced by rave reviews and couldn't wait to pick this up one.

The writing is beautifully done, and Chris Whitaker is clearly a gifted writer. I think it was just a matter of the timing being off for me when reading this title. I struggled to connect with the characters and thus, just didn't find this novel very compelling. Again, I think it was more my timing than anything else because I keep hearing rave reviews from so many of my reading friends.

As far as the audiobook format, the narration was great and I really enjoyed my listening experience.

As always, I am so appreciative to have the ability to read and share my honest feedback. Thank you to Henry Holt & Company for my gifted copy.

Spoiler.
I was unable to finish this title. I can not pinpoint as to whether it was because of the audio or the story itself? Hmmmmm. It just overall did not work for me. I have heard good things and would probably try to read Chris Whitaker....but I will not be recommending the audio for this title.

This was my first novel by Chris Whitaker and it did not disappoint. I feel in love with Duchess and her hard exterior. She was just a very hurt little girl who needed someone to mother and care for her.
The story line kept me on my toes as to what would happen next. I like being surprised.
The narrator was fantastic!
Love having the option of audible books and I would absolutely recommend listening to this one.

I loved the feisty Sunshine and my heart broke for her & her brother. Waffling between four and five stars because to the ending but will recommend to others. Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

Holy, moly. This book! It was such a wild ride and I loved every bit of it. Duchess was an incredible character who I felt accurately portrayed a child who has been through trauma. Her love for her brother and taking care of him was such a huge part of who she was. My heart broke for her, I cheered her on, and I even laughed a little along the way. We Begin at the End will be sticking with me for awhile.

This one took me a while to get into it, but upon finishing it, I can't help but want to go back and re-read!! It couldn't have been a better ending. I really got into it about halfway through reading and couldn't put it down from there. This story follows different points of views as a town reels with the aftermath of an accident. I found the characters to be very believable and each had good character development which kept me interested in the plot. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book for an honest review.

”We begin at the end Duchess. If you believe that you’ll be alright.”

Thirteen-year-old Duchess calls herself and outlaw. She has seen more heartache than most adults have. She will do whatever it takes to survive and to protect her five-year-old brother. Walk is the sheriff who grew up in this small town. He turned his best friend, Vincent in for murder thirty years ago, and now Vincent is being release. When they were young, they hung out with Star, who is now Duchess’s mother and has many issues she’s dealing with. When something happens, it will bring all these characters together in a devastating way.

We Begin at the End really surprised me. What started as a slow burn turned into a really powerful and moving story. The way Chris Whitaker intertwined the lives of these characters was truly impressive. This story tells the lives of people who deserve so much more than the hand they’ve been dealt. It is a coming of age story, a story of loss and hope, and a devastating story that truly touched my heart. This is one of those books where it is hard to review without giving too much away, and I don’t like giving spoilers. This was a beautifully written journey of self-preservation. I highly recommend this one.

I listened to the audiobook, and thought that the narrator, George Newbern, was the perfect choice.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my alc for this book.

One sentence review: I can't really do this novel just in one sentence other than to say it is a moving slow burn of a novel that I want to go back and reread right now.

We Begin at the End at its essence is a story of a town that is wrecked by an unfortunate accident that has long term consequences. It is these consequences that we see played out in the book. The book is told from dual viewpoints, that of Walker, the local chief of police, and Duchess, a 13 year old who considers herself an outlaw.

My thoughts:

- For me Duchess is where this book really shines. Her narrative will capture your heart, tear it in two, and then repair itself again.
- I really like the way the author weaved the story together. The viewpoints are so different that they really lend depth to the story.
- This book is definitely a slow burn. It takes awhile for the story to warm up and then near the end BAM everything comes together and your mind is just sort of left reeling.

To summarize, I loved this book but it is definitely a slowly paced book. If you get antsy with a lot of internal narrative, and setting up of story line, this might not be the book for you.

NARRATION: I thought the narration was well done. There are a lot of characters but for the most part I was able to keep them straight in my head.

“We Begin at the End” by Chris Whitaker had gotten so many glowing reviews pre-publication (the word “masterpiece” continually popped up) that I expected to love it—and I was so disappointed when I didn’t. The alternating narrators—Walk, a small-town police chief, investigates a murder while Duchess Day Radley, the 13-year-old girl he has looked out for over the years, struggles to find a home for herself and her 6-year-old brother Robin—have a lot of potential. But Whitaker’s self-consciously poetic writing style—peppered with sentence fragment after sentence fragment and phrases like,“Thunderheads formed liked gathered mistakes”—immediately turned me off and made it difficult for me to get into the story. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that I found the character of Duchess, the lynchpin of “We Begin at the End,” completely unbelievable and, unfortunately, unlikable. She is constantly saying things like, “I see the shell of a man who’s made a mess of his life”; no 13-year-old speechifies like this or uses phrases like “shell of a man,” no matter how precocious she is.

In contrast, the character of Thomas Noble, Duchess’ friend and would-be paramour, is heartbreakingly real, and his authenticity makes his scenes with Duchess some of the best in the book. Duchess and Robin’s grandfather, as well, is a compelling character; I was sorry he wasn’t a bigger part of the story.. And Robin was consistently charming, By the end, however, I didn’t much care about Walk’s investigation or Duchess’ revenge strategy. I just wanted to be done. As I said, I’m in the minority on this one.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the audiobook of this title in return for my honest review.

In the small town of Cape Haven, California, we meet a cast of characters all linked by a tragedy that happened years ago. Star Radley and her children Duchess and Robin are all marked by the loss of Star’s little sister 30 years prior, and their lives are still completely overshadowed by it. They’re kept an eye on by the police chief, a childhood friend of Star. But when the man involved in the loss of life decades prior comes back to town, no one will ever be the same. ⁣⁣⁣
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This was such a dark, gritty and compelling read with characters that I’ll carry with me for a long while. Duchess is a smart mouth 13 year old who has had to grow up faster than any child should, and she’s her little brother’s sole protector. She is tough as nails and doesn’t let anyone mess with her family. Walk, the police chief, is full of regret and sorrow over the years of his life that have flown by and led him to this moment. ⁣⁣⁣
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I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as a thriller. It’s more of a dark character driven mystery with hard themes on family, survival, and truth. It reminded me of Elizabeth Wetmore’s Valentine, and Julia Heaberlin‘s We Are All the Same in the Dark, both of which I also really enjoyed. ⁣⁣⁣
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If you love a sharply written character driven novel with dark themes, this one is certainly for you. My only qualm and reason it wasn’t a full five stars was the ending I believe dragged on a little too long.⁣⁣⁣
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My favorite book of February was We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker. It comes out this week, but you really should just preorder it now. Trust me.

Every so often a character comes along that leaps right off the pages and straight in to my heart to live forever and ever. ❤️ Recent characters like this have included: Adunni from The Girl With The Louding Voice and Cyril from The Heart’s Invisible Furies and now... Duchess Day Radley. Although I choose to believe Duchess actually kicked and punched her way in to my heart, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Duchess isn’t even quite the main character of this book, but that doesn’t matter! I fully expect that this will be many people’s favorite book of the year, maybe even mine... too soon to tell but it feels pretty hard to top right now.

We Begin At The End is a fantastic exploration of good and bad, right and wrong, and guilt and forgiveness. It’s an atmospheric, elevated murder mystery with complex characters and a layered history to sift through. What more could you ask for?

This had a really slow start for me. Also I wasn't a fan of how Dutchess talked, she had such a fowl mouth but also spoke like poetry and she was so young. Just didn't seem to fit. But then it picked up a lot more half way through. It thought it wrapped well and had some good twists. But overall it was a pretty sad story with not a lot of redeeming characters.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narration. It was a great story of how actions of the past still affect things, the bonds of family you’ve chosen and prevailing.

The narration of this book was great- I felt that they fit well with the characters. This story is powerful and will pull at the heart strings!

4.5⭐ rounded up to 5.

This book packs a punch.

I started out with the audiobook, but I switched back to the physical copy because I didn't feel like the narrator fit the story. He accent was too Southern for a book set in California and Montana.

Duchess Ray Radley is a badass 13 year old girl who has determined that is in an outlaw. She even introduces herself that way. With all the trauma and abandonment that she has experienced in her life, it comes as no surprises to me that she has put up a hard exterior. Unfortunately when things go wrong, she doesn't trust adults that would and could actually help her.

Chief Walker "Walk" has lived in Cape Haven, CA his entire life. He is friends with Duchess' mom and has watched Duchess and her brother, Robin, grow up. Walk harbors guilt for things he did in his teens and has spent his entire life trying to atone for that guilt.

We Begin at the End is heartbreaking and tragic. Chris Whitaker brings to life characters that feel so real. Puts you in the position to relate to those who learn to depend on themselves early in life.

The only thing that is nagging me is that this book would have been better set in the southern United States, maybe Texas rather than California or Montana.

Where do I begin?
Apparently, WE BEGIN AT THE END!

You ever know somethings coming? Like a vibration underground from an oncoming train.
Maybe it’s that feeling when a train passes, and you are first in line. A swaying effect after the train leaves. This book is like that for me.
Set near me, with characters whose names are identical to not only myself but others in my life, I knew I had to request it.
But could I read it with distance and without my intuition fogging up my reading lens?
That is the question for me as of late…

Now, let’s go back or forward in time. To WE BEGIN AT THE END by @chriswhitakerauthor

Out now!!

To say that this book creeps up on you is an understatement. I thought I could put my earbuds in and cruise around the house doing all my chores.
Nope!!
There were several times I had to sit down, rewind, and digest what I was listening to. There are moments in books where an author writes something so true, so validating that you must take a second breath. This is that book for me.
The writing is enigmatic, smooth, almost like a pinot, fruit-forward, heavy in the back, at the periphery of your tongue. Delicious.
The story is inviting, not rushed, like a slow drip, dark roast coffee. He took his time, I believe, choosing words, restructuring sentences, editing—more taking out than adding in.
Quite masterful.
I am a fan!!

I will read whatever Chris writes!
Look me up!!

5 Stars
Audiobook Recommendation!

Thanks to:
#netgalley and #macmillanaudio for a gifted advanced listener’s copy!
It was a pleasure!

Walk has never left the small California town where he grew up and is now chief of police. He worries endlessly about his childhood friends, Vincent (just out of prison for a murder Walk’s testimony convicted him of as a teen) and Star, sinking into self-destruction.

As Star implodes, Walk’s concerns turn to her neglected children, Duchess and Robin. Duchess, 13 and a self-declared outlaw, lashes out fiercely, ready to defend her brother with all she has. As the troubles of the past meet the present and come to a head, Walk and Duchess are powerless to stop the damage.

This audiobook started off slow for me–I wasn’t following the characters and past/present storylines very well–but halfway through, I was suddenly riveted. There’s hope and resilience here, but it broke my heart in a million different ways. Don’t miss this one.

Wow! We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker was a surprise favorite of the year book for me! It really wasn't on my radar until I kept seeing it being offered to me on NetGalley audiobooks and I finally caved and listened to it. First of all, the narrator, George Newbern has always been a bit of a nostalgic favorite of mine since I loved Adventures in Babysitting and Father of the Bride in my youth. He is a great audiobook narrator. Secondly, the storyline in the novel is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It is about a group of people that just seemed to have been born unlucky and never managed to overcome their luck. They each took a different path from unfortunate childhood to adulthood though. Walt grew up to become a cop. Vincent grew up a prisoner. Star grew up to be a struggling single mother of an angry thirteen year old girl and a sweet, small boy.

The story had a crime with tragic consequences. It had mystery, plot, a strong sense of place, atmosphere, world-weariness, rage, innocence, true friendship, and true familial love. We Begin At The End is a beautiful story that lit lovers of many genres would appreciate: mystery, thriller, literary fiction, etc. The characters are flawed, real, and beautifully imagined. I would recommend this gem of a novel to anyone who appreciates good fiction.

It's not often I can engage with a male narrator. Not sure why, so I was a bit nervous going into this one. George Newbern however, did a fantastic job. His voice for sure lent that cowboy feel to our backwoods police and to our young outlaw Duchess. The trajectory of sadness Duchess and her little brother follow with seemingly no one to care but Walk, town police chief, is a kick in the gut over and over. Watching Duchess stay stoic, and mature with a little sass now and then to remind you she really is only thirteen years old was a great line through out the novel. Walks own growth as he is made to face his own shortcomings, and the ties of childhood friends that won't let go. This one is going to be a great success for sure, and I am grateful to Macmillon Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen this pre-publication edition in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

A novel about family bonds and how the past influence the future. The story was engaging, however there was a bit too much despair and heartbreak for me.