Where We End & Begin by Jane Igharo

Where We End & Begin by Jane Igharo

The rundown: The connection between Dunni and Obinna when they met as teens was so natural, so instant that it felt like fate. But then he cut off all communication after Dunni left Nigeria to attend college in America. Twelve years later, and the two reunite for the first time at a mutual friend’s wedding. The connection is still there, but where Obinna is ready to finally begin a future with Dunni, she can’t help but be reminded of the pain she felt when he abandoned her and the secrets kept since then.

The review: I really enjoyed this one! I am a Second Chance Girlie™️ through and through because I love seeing the characters work through the issues that tore them apart in the first place. The best ones, in my opinion, speak to the hard work of a relationship. Here, it’s the class difference between rich girl Dunni and poor boy Obinna that is the main source of conflict. I enjoyed how WWE&B explores Obinna’s internalized feelings of inferiority because of his working class family. I also really appreciated that the objections to Dunni and Obinna’s relationship came not just from her mother but also from his. (Grand)mother-child relationships are a really important element of this story, shaping our characters’ choices for better or worse. 

Beyond the social class tension, I found it really interesting how Igharo played with tensions between religion, superstition, and science, particularly the last two. For example, in the Now timeline, Dunni is a geneticist, and that cold, logo-scientific mode of thinking informs how she approaches the possibility of a new relationship with Obinna.

Fair warning, Igharo really packs a lot into the last 50ish pages. So either prepare to embrace the drama or consider skipping this one.

Goes well with: Give Kianna Alexander’s Can’t Resist Her or Long Past Summer by Noué Kirwan a read for more second chance romance by Black authors.