YOUth Review: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

We Begin at the End is a powerful novel about people who deserve so much more than life throws at them. This book focuses on the life of Duchess, who is a 13-year-old girl. The novel begins when Duchess’ mother, Star, is a child. Star and her friends, Walk and Vincent King, were hanging out and then something terrible occurred that horribly affected Star’s life. Throughout the novel, Star cannot cope with her feelings as she goes through stages of grief. Duchess goes through anything she possibly can to get the truth about this incident.

As Duchess and her younger brother grow up, their life is not as expected. Duchess’ and her brother's childhood was very tough for them, however, Duchess learns from her mistakes and learns how to grow throughout the book. Duchess does not show her true emotions throughout the novel which could possibly make the novel a little confusing depending on how the reader interprets it. I enjoyed this book as it’s kind of unpredictable.

While I was reading this book, I was not able to predict what would happen next as well as I have while reading other books. This book has a clear storyline but also has many different plot twists and those both kept me interested while reading. This is a great book that demonstrates how innocent people deserve so much more in life than they get thrown at them.

Written by Abigail M.