‘Where We End & Begin’ by Jane Igharo: Endings and beginnings are sometimes the same

"If words count to nothing, then blood will count for everything." This quote sums up the bond between Dunni and Obinna, who are determined to hold on to each other despite the distance and obstacles separating them.

Jane Igharo's Where We End & Begin is a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of love, identity, and second chances. The novel takes us on an emotional trip with Dunni, who returns to Nigeria after 12 years in America to attend her best friend Tiwa's wedding. Reluctant yet obligated, she is unprepared for the flood of memories and emotions she experiences upon meeting Obinna, her first love again.

When Dunni arrives in Lagos, her heart is divided between two worlds: her life with her fiancé, Christopher, and the unresolved past she left behind.

As fate would have it, Obinna is friends with Tiwa. So we meet both of them at the wedding rehearsal dinner, where everyone addresses him as Nicholas, a name that Dunni never liked. This first encounter after 12 years renders them a lifetime shock, and Dunni loses her composure and storms off the room.

"It was still there... this thing between them—the chemistry, attraction. How? After being apart for more than a decade. After the distance he kept despite promising never to. After she accepted the marriage proposal of another man, how could there still be this thing between them?"

Through dual timelines, Igharo unveils their past and present. "Now" is a story of healing and reckoning as Dunni and Obinna confront the choices that tore them apart and the generational wounds that continue to shape their lives.

"Then" introduces the readers to the first time these two lovers from opposite sides of the social class meet. It is during high school, the first day for Obinna in a new school on the opposite side of his social class. This is possible because every year, Dunni's father offers a scholarship to one bright student from underprivileged backgrounds.

"Meet Miss Damijo," said the headmaster. "You can call me Dunni." "Miss Damijo's father is the reason you are here. Her father is the gentleman sponsoring your education here."

The first meeting between Obinna and Dunni begins an electric, undeniable, and inevitable love, only to be severed by Dunni's mother, whose traumatic past casts a shadow over her daughter's choices.

Dunni's mother's unresolved trauma impacts her children's life experiences and the choices they make. Her mother relives her trauma through her daughter's choices in life, forgetting that Dunni's life is not like hers. They are different people who are bound to have different outcomes.

But the thing about trauma is that it does not give you a chance to be logical. It blinds you to mistake emotions for reality. The novel shows how unhealed and unchecked trauma can echo through generations, stifling opportunities for growth and connection.

"I loved a poor and ambitious man once, and it almost killed me. That will not be my daughter. Dunni, not everyone needs a whirlwind romance. In my experience, it does more damage than good."

In this novel, Igharo highlights the thin line between religion and superstition and how they impact our view of life. When one does not know where to draw the line between these two concepts, one's beliefs are usually stirred on either side, and most of the time, one is left in a dilemma of what to believe and what not to: Iya Agba, Dunni's grandmother dreams and her dreams come true.

"Dunni always described her grandmother as someone who lived with one eye on the present and another peeking into the future, spiritually straddling between the two periods."

On the other hand, Obinna's mother has two doses of both ends; she is both religious and superstitious. She is a woman who believes in God entirely and fears the occult. This fear, as it does to people who believe in both sides, pushes her to lean more towards one side; religion. She believes prayers can solve anything. She would say, "Prayer aligns a man to his fate."

This annoys Obinna, who questions her mother's beliefs: "as if her faith and devotion were a currency she could exchange for miracles. If that were the case, their lives would not be what they were."

Through Dunni and Obinna’s story, Igharo explores how we reconcile who we were with who we are becoming, what we have lost, and what we are willing to fight for.

Where We End & Begin is a beautifully crafted novel that explores the complexity of love, identity, and belonging. It will leave you reflecting on the ties that bind us—whether through love, family, or the past we carry. It is perfect for readers who enjoy heartfelt romance intertwined with cultural and thematic depth.

Jane Shussa is passionate about books, coffee, nature, and travel. She serves as a Senior Digital Communications Officer for Twaweza East Africa.