T. S. Elliot said, “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” Chris Whitaker adopted this philosophy for his book, We Begin at the End and created the lives of his main characters, Duchess, Robin, Vincent and Walker to explore this idea. We learn early on that one moment of inattention, of human carelessness, can ruin the lives of many people leaving them unalterably broken and damaged. This less than uplifting theme was cleverly delivered in a very interesting murder mystery. Despite the plot that included murder, arson, abuse and fear the storyline had moments of humor and grace and truly heartwarming details. Whitaker jumped back in time on occasion to reveal important details that he then wove into the mystery. One particularly important element that was demonstrated through several characters was that of selfless love and sacrifice. There were many examples of people who seemed completely despicable who we later discover have given abundantly in their own life to those who are in need. This is a wonderful book with deep emotional connections that effect all of us at one time or another. It allowed for reflection and self discovery and was very engaging for discussion. This is a good one!
