53 pages • 1 hour read
Chris WhitakerWe Begin at the End
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of death.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. What are some of the ways in which We Begin at the End defies genre conventions (e.g., of clear-cut heroes/villains and resolutions that affirm the social order)? Did the book’s moral ambiguity add to or diminish your enjoyment?
2. We Begin at the End is considered an homage to classic Westerns, especially those written by authors like Charles Portis. Have you read any of Portis’s novels, such as True Grit or Norwood? How would you compare and contrast Whitaker’s novel with Portis’s work?
3. Chris Whitaker is also the author of All the Colors of the Dark. If you’ve read both books, how would you compare their treatment of childhood adversity? If this is your first experience with Whitaker, are you interested in reading more?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. Can you imagine making any of the sacrifices Vincent makes for his children in this novel? How does your answer impact your reception of the novel’s ideas about The Importance of Others?
2. What kinds of isolation do the characters in this story experience? How do they compare to situations where you have felt alone? What advice would you offer the characters on coping with isolation?
3. Vincent and Star both feel tremendous guilt over Sissy’s death. Do you think their feelings of guilt are warranted? In your opinion, how might they deal productively with their guilt?
4. Sibling relationships are central to the book’s plot and characterizations. Which of the sibling relationships in the story strikes you as most realistic, and why?
5. How does the novel portray The Dynamics of Grief? Which character’s reaction to grief did you find most compelling? Why?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. How would you describe the book’s attitude toward the crimes committed by Duchess, Robin, and Walk? How does this attitude comment on the relationship of crime to social circumstances?
2. Who are some real-life people whose experiences with the criminal justice system resemble Vincent’s? How does knowing about their cases influence your perception of Vincent?
3. How well does the system serve Robin and Duchess after their mother is killed? Does this reflect what you know about the real-world child welfare system?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. How is generational trauma manifested in the lives of the Radley family? How is this trauma related to the book’s thematic examinations of secrets, grief, isolation, and moral ambiguity?
2. The third person narrator alternates between focusing on Duchess’s perspective and Walk’s perspective. How does this narrative choice support the story’s moral ambiguity and thematic complexity?
3. How do the characters’ names help to convey their personalities? How might this method of characterization imply that there are limits to the characters’ complexity and growth? Do the arcs of the main characters support or contradict the static nature of their names?
4. Which elements of the setting of Cape Haven contribute to the book’s atmosphere, foreshadow plot events, or support the book’s themes?
5. In what sense can Vincent be read as a Christ figure? What is the story’s broader message about redemption?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. If you were to write a sequel to this story, how might you portray the adult lives of Robin and Duchess? How do you think their childhood experiences would continue to shape their lives? Would you reunite them in adulthood? Why or why not?
2. If Vincent were somehow able to watch Duchess’s school presentation at the end of the novel, what do you imagine he would think and feel?
3. Duchess is a memorable character, a self-styled outlaw at 13 years old. If you were to choose a piece of art—a poem, a song, a painting, etc.—to represent her, which would you choose, and why?
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