ReadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2025

The End of Where We Begin: A Refugee Story

Rosalind Russell author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Eye Books

Published:12th Oct '23

Should be back in stock very soon

The End of Where We Begin: A Refugee Story cover

WINNER: Moore Prize 2021
‘A beautiful, moving and important book’ Simon Reeve

Veronica is a teenager when civil war erupts in South Sudan, the world’s youngest country. Lonely and friendless after the death of her father, she finds solace in her first boyfriend, and together they flee across the city when fighting breaks out.
On the same night Daniel, the son of a colonel, also makes his escape, but finds himself stranded beside the River Nile, alone and vulnerable.
Lilian is a young mother who runs for her life holding the hand of her little boy, Harmony – until a bomb attack wrenches them apart and she is forced to trek on alone.
After epic journeys of endurance, these three young people’s lives cross in Bidi Bidi in Uganda – the world’s largest refugee camp. There they meet James, a counsellor who helps them find light and hope in the darkest of places.
In a gripping true-life narrative, Rosalind Russell tells their stories with uplifting empathy and tenderness.

‘Engages our hearts with vivid and moving stories…written with extraordinary clarity, compassion and impact’
‘A beautiful, moving and important book about survival and the power of the human spirit’ -- Simon Reeve
‘A captivating…compelling chronicle of the refugee experience of displacement, loss and hope’ -- Ka’edi Africa
‘Powerful and moving…stays in your memory long after you have put it back on your bookshelf’ -- Publishing Post
‘A harrowing, intimate examination of civil war’s toll’ -- Kirkus Reviews
‘A beautiful, moving and important book about survival and the power of the human spirit’ - Simon Reeve || ‘A captivating…compelling chronicle of the refugee experience of displacement, loss and hope’ - Ka’edi Africa || ‘A harrowing, intimate examination of civil war’s toll’ - Kirkus Reviews || ‘Engages our hearts with vivid and moving stories…written with extraordinary clarity, compassion and impact’ || ‘Powerful and moving…stays in your memory long after you have put it back on your bookshelf’ - Publishing Post
‘A beautiful, moving and important book about survival and the power of the human spirit’ - Simon Reeve || ‘A captivating…compelling chronicle of the refugee experience of displacement, loss and hope’ - Ka’edi Africa || ‘A harrowing, intimate examination of civil war’s toll’ - Kirkus Reviews || ‘Engages our hearts with vivid and moving stories…written with extraordinary clarity, compassion and impact’ || ‘Powerful and moving…stays in your memory long after you have put it back on your bookshelf’ - Publishing Post

ISBN: 9781785633713

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 26mm

Weight: 242g

288 pages