I recently asked Laurel, a member of our circulation team, for a recommendation. Laurel was deep into We Begin at the End (2021) by British author Chris Whitaker. At her suggestion, I read a review in Book Page. “[A]n addictive flip on the small-town mystery, which begins when all is supposed to be said and done…” I found it to nearly impossible to put down.
A brief summary: Duchess, a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw, staunchly protects her younger brother, Robin, and her struggling mother, Star. Duchess has a protector too–Walk, the chief of police of the coastal California town where he and Star grew up and, as children, experienced a traumatic event. Now one big player in that event, Vincent King, is coming home from prison, having served his thirty year sentence, and Duchess and Walk must face the trouble that comes with his return.
This description doesn’t do this literary crime thriller justice. The perfectly paced plot kept me guessing until the book’s powerful and satisfying conclusion; the characters still weigh on my mind. This novel balances the tragic and the comic, reinvents the mythology of American West, provides insight into class and culture, and delves deep into the complicated nuances of family of origin and chosen family. Turns out, We Begin at the End is one of my favorite novels of 2021. Thanks, Laurel!