Bookreporter Talks To: Chris Whitaker: We Begin at the End

Chris Whitaker: We Begin at the End

Mar 5, 2021

Chris Whitaker talks to Carol Fitzgerald about We Begin at the End, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. The discussion opens with Chris sharing the circuitous --- and somewhat crazy --- route he took to becoming an author, and what drew him to write his lead character, 13-year-old, Duchess. That story alone could be a book. We Begin at the End is genre defying --- on one hand it’s a coming- of-age story, on a second it’s a mystery, but above all it’s just a great read. It’s set in both California and Montana, neither of which Chris, who lives in the UK has visited, yet the writing feels so authentic. Both Duchess and Walk are characters with tons of baggage between them. Duchess is rebellious, tough and fiercely protective of her brother, Robin. She calls herself an outlaw. Walk carries the burden of being responsible for his best friend being sent to prison for thirty years from the time he was only 15. As Vincent is finally being freed, Walk ponders what is coming to him. They cover a lot of ground, including his writing process, while being careful to avoid all spoilers about the book’s propulsive ending. You definitely want to start your listen at the beginning and follow it right to the end.

Books talked about in this episode:

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Check out our other videos:

Bookaccino Book Club with William Kent Krueger: https://youtu.be/dX-mHWLmv5k

Bookaccino Book Club with Jeanine Cummins: https://youtu.be/yY-yhIXjMYM

Best Books of 2020: https://youtu.be/Q_N6r_l1-Ss

More Bookreporter Talks To:
Janet Skeslien Charles: https://youtu.be/x0jum1ppDss
Jane Harper: https://youtu.be/vJPllZdRtQQ
Alex Berenson: https://youtu.be/FV7biRaFsXM

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