We Begin At The End By Chris Whitaker
 | Author:
Rachael Elliott-Brug, Reading Leaves
Rachael Brug: MT43 News Vice President and Copy Editor |
“Life, much like storytelling, tends to be linear: We’re born (characters); we live (plots); we conclude.” But what fun might a cunning writer have from flipping that story?
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker, is an engrossing twist on the small-town mystery that starts when everything is supposed to be settled. Touted as a cross between True Grit and To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as, a West Coast Where the Crawdads Sing, We Begin at the End is a spectacular must-read debut.
Duchess Day Radley is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. She takes care of her small broken family with a fierceness that often lands her in trouble. The chief of police, Walk, her mother, Star Radley, and the fresh from prison, Vincent King, are all tied together by a horrible disaster in their shared past. When tragedy strikes again Duchess must decide who she can trust to help keep her family together.
This novel kept me flipping pages well into the night. Duchess, despite being brave and strong, is not wise beyond her 13 years. She often finds herself in dire situations that may not have been situations because of her foolishness.
As a result, I had to know how everything turned out! I was definitely not disappointed, and as soon as I finished reading, I wanted to pick it back up and start over from the beginning. It is that good.
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