Duchess Day Radley is one of the two voices in the story. And I cannot say enough about how moving her character is. A tough champion of her drunkard mother and her baby brother, her vulgarity hides her vulnerability. Her quick temper and violent outbursts mask a child forced to grow up too soon.

Seldom will one encounter such a compelling character. This is not a coming-of-age story. Duchess has lost all semblance of childhood long before the tale begins. As the reader turns each page expecting redemption, Duchess dashes the hope. Seemingly a lost cause.

Whitaker offers Walk as a counterpoint to Duchess. A small-town cop wanting to hold progress at bay. He can’t erase the fateful day of long ago, no matter how much he wants to. Yet, he clings to innocence and good. Unfortunately, fate is against him. Walk fights two battles in We Begin At The End. Neither seems winnable.

Of all the characters in the book, Vincent King is the most intriguing. He says little wanting to suffer in silence. He too, lost his innocence as a teenager. Sent to an adult prison for involuntary manslaughter. His role in the novel is large. And full of surprises. But above all he is selfless.