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We Begin at the End: Unabridged

Whitaker, Chris

Whitaker's best novel yet, We Begin at the End is a beautifully written, intense and, at times, poetic crime drama that shines a spotlight on the young, inimitable Duchess Day Radley. With superb characterization and overflowing with heart, We Begin at the End is ultimately about the importance of learning from our past, no matter how recent, to protect our future. A must-read.

This Barnes & Noble Book Club Edition includes a personal essay from author, Chris Whitaker, as well as a discussion guide.

“A vibrant, engrossing, unputdownable thriller that packs a serious emotional punch. One of those rare books that surprise you along the way and then linger in your mind long after you have finished it.”
—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds

Right. Wrong. Life is lived somewhere in between.

Duchess Day Radley is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Rules are for other people. She is the fierce protector of her five-year-old brother, Robin, and the parent to her mother, Star, a single mom incapable of taking care of herself, let alone her two kids.

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he and Star 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. And he's in overdrive protecting Duchess and her brother.

Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released. And Duchess and Walk must face the trouble that comes with his return. We Begin at the End is an extraordinary novel about two kinds of families—the ones we are born into and the ones we create.