Wow, what a book! The human experience--with all its hurts and joys--being navigated by relatable characters or even characters just relatable by a sliver of what they celebrate and suffer can make for a great story. And when it's in the hands of a talented writer, it makes for phenomenal fiction. We Begin at the End is such a book.

Walk is the sheriff of his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Walk's anticipating the return of his childhood best friend, Vincent, whose is being released after 30 years in jail for a crime he committed as a teen. Vincent's ex-girlfriend, Star, is as emotionally tortured as Vincent and both seem determined to self-destruct. Star's oldest child, Duchess, is a foul-mouthed teen who is as abrasive and angry to everyone in her orbit as she is doting and fiercely protective of her younger brother, Robin. How these characters deal with the tragedies of their pasts and the reverberations those tragedies have on their presents are riveting. I read this book in a day--it's that good. And Whitaker's prose is a marvel of evocative descriptions and complex characterizations that impress upon your mind and heart long after you're finished reading. Highly recommend.