Why It Ends With Us is NOT a Love Story
Growing up in a relatively loving and nurturing home, physical and emotional abuse was never present in our family dynamic. My parents never threw hands, no matter how angry they got at each other during a fight. That is why Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us transported me into unfamiliar territory. It made me fully aware of a systemic problem happening in lots of families, even at this time and age.
The Plot
It Ends With Us tackles the devastating concept of domestic violence among couples and families which transcends into the state of living and being of an individual.
Lily Bloom, an eccentric florist, meets Ryle Kincaid, a commitment-phobe surgeon, in a rooftop in Boston. The latter was smitten from the get-go. Like any other woman with a fickle heart, Lily was not able to resist the surgeon’s advances. Then comes a familiar stranger from Lily’s past, Atlas Corrigan, who put on a chainmail armor to save a damsel in distress.
The Feeling
I literally had to put this book down a few times just to contemplate the fact that Lily made a huge mistake by ignoring the first appearances of Ryle’s red flags even before they started dating. Also, I constantly had to stop myself from completely throwing the book across the room because of Ryle. But despite all the ways I could think of to mutilate the book, I still found myself loving every bit of CoHo’s interpretation of the different stages of domestic violence and how to end it.
The Reason
Lily’s constant urge to justify Ryle’s actions mirrors the reality of people, especially women, in similar situations. Lily constantly found a way to focus on Ryle’s redeeming qualities instead.
Love is one of the first few reasons why they constantly need to shadow the truth, to hide away the fact that they are being abused. They think that people hurt others because of love, which is a load of BS if I’m being honest.
If a person truly loves someone, they would never even think of raising even a finger at them. If it turns out to be that way, then it was not love they were feeling.
I can’t exactly figure out the thought process of individuals who are abusing their partners. But I think there is no reason valid enough to physically hurt people, especially those who love you.
But fair warning: this story is not for the faint-hearted. Read with caution. Put the book down when you need to. Breathe. Cry with Lily. Resent Ryle. Fall for Atlas. But most importantly, remember that this is not a love story, rather it is a reflection of the collective experiences of people in physically and emotionally abusive relationships.
Maybe someday it can finally end with us.
