Book Review: "It Ends with Us" by Colleen Hoover

Introduction

The book by Colleen Hoover, named ‘It Ends with Us’ is a profound, touching; and, at the same time, socially significant work describing such topics and challenges as domestic abuse, love, and the vicious circle. The book was published in 2016 and was met with tremendous success; the reader found true mirroring in the author’s accounts of the protagonists’ tedious attempts at escaping abusive relationships. Hoover, who is famous for the tales with a strong focus on emotions, shares the point that seems to make SCARS powerful and inspiring at the same time when it rips down the curtain of the reality that often remains unseen despite people’s recognition of love as the highest value.

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Narrative Style and Structure

Thus, Hoover uses the realistic, first-person point of view in “It Ends with Us” which involves the readers directly in the protagonist’s life with detailed descriptions and personal observations. This results in the direct explanation of the events through the mouth of the heroine, Lily Bloom: readers get to know what she is thinking, feeling, and going through. Thus, the application of the first-person point of view increases the reader’s identification with Lily and makes her transformation more significant.

In terms of the plot; The Good Soldier is very chronologically arranged and maintains a straightforward structure. But Hoover uses the flashbacks in the form of the young people’s diary which Lily used to write when she was a teenager. These diary entries offer a view of the history of Lily’s life; more specifically, her affair with Atlas Corrigan, her first real love. Flashing between past and present builds a sense of proportion and helps the audience to understand the ways, in which Lily’s early experiences affect her when she is an adult.

Plot Summary

’It Ends with Us’ is a story about a young woman named Lily Bloom who after her father’s death relocates to Boston. She starts a flower shop to endeavor towards a new life and this eludes her painful childhood life. Lily grows up watching her mother being abused by her father and later, Lily herself falls into an abusive relationship. Such experiences have influenced her attitude toward the phenomenon of love and the relationships that people have, making her avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Their life takes a new twist when Lily gets into a relationship with Ryle Kincaid the attractive and talented neurosurgeon. Ryle is charming, an ambitious man, who at first, appears to be perfect. in the beginning, Ryle refuses to fall in love, yet he and Lily come to fall in love at the end. However, the longer the couple stays together, the viewer gets to see that there is a sinister side to Ryle. He has anger management problems, making Lily involved in a situation she never expected, becoming a victim of her man’s abuse as her mother used to be.

While dealing with this positive attraction towards Ryle, there is a reappearance of Atlas Corrigan in the life of Lily. Atlas was the first love interest of Lily, and their feelings were deep even if Atlas was sent away from her. Lily learns about Atlas’s return and is faced with her past decisions and the options she has in the future. Has to choose between the man she loves and the safety and well-being of her own life.

The major theme of the novel comes to the foray when Lily gets a revelation that she is pregnant. This brings her to face the actuality of her condition together with the ramifications of her youngster. Thus, Lily understands that she cannot let the process of domestic violence go on and decides to leave Ryle even though she loves him. The novel’s climax is reading about the birth of Lily’s daughter whom she names after her mother, departing from the past and starting a new life with her daughter.

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Themes and Symbolism

The novel presents and discusses many major topics, such as the vicious cycle of family violence, the concept of love, and the importance of one’s value. These themes are combined very well with the narrative; the story evokes sadness and provokes the readers’ thoughts.

Cycle of Abuse: Another matter that can be highlighted as one of the major topics of the novel is the vengeful circle. Lily’s experience is a replica of many women who end up in the miserable cycle of domestic violence. In this context, Hoover describes the tenderness and inner struggle typical for the victims of abuse: they love their partners; they hope, things will get better, and they are afraid of change. Thus, with the help of the story of Lily, Hoover overcomes prejudices and shows that exiting an abusive relationship is not as easy as people might think.

Complexity of Love: Also, the work of Hoover is expressed within the intricate concept of love which is not monotonous and has no line between black and white. This is evident in the love Lily has for Ryle together with the suffering that comes with it. The novel also shows one can love so deeply, yet when the loved one is dangerous he or she has to let go for one’s own safety. Hoover also finishes Lily with Ryle and the connection he has with her compared to the affection she has for Atlas, which shows the distinction between soothing love and poisonous love.

Self-Worth and Empowerment: Thus, the main focus of the novel reflects Lily’s way towards the liberation of women and their emancipation. Finally, she understands that her life’s worth is more important than the love she has for Ryle. This theme is especially well illustrated in Lily’s choice to abandon Ryle for the benefit of their unborn baby. Hoover concentrates more on the issue of self-esteem and the power that an individual needs to finally leave the toxic relationship. The title of the book, It Ends with Us highlights Lily’s desire to break this cycle of violence for the generation he/she represents thus protecting her daughter from the same plight.

Parent-Child Relationships: Hence, the role of parent-child relational issues is a theme in the novel as it depicts how such relationships shape the life of an individual and his or her decisions. Lily’s experiences and perception of love Are informed by her mother’s experience who suffered years of abuse. Likewise, in the movie, various aspects of Ryle’s personality can be linked to his problematic relationship with his parents and childhood trauma. Hoover explains how one could grow up with abuse, and this pattern can be inherited, and a person must change this circle.

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Character Analysis

Lily Bloom: Lily is the main character of the movie and her personality is multi-layered showing the audience a woman they can easily identify with. She is in many ways masculine, self-reliant; and more than prepared to create a life for herself. But due to her past abuse; she is likely to exhibit the same behavior again. Lily’s transformation is the key theme of the movie which portrays the individual’s discovery process. She learns her self- value, and in the end, she can stand up for herself and escape from an abusive partner. By portraying a woman torn between her husband’s family and her own child and successfully giving birth to a healthy baby, her character is symbolic of many women like her and is inspiring.

Ryle Kincaid: Ryle is a complex character who represents the theme of love with the undertone of aggression. He is smart, professionally satisfied, and enjoys women, however, he has the potential of being a villain which is inside of him. Sophisticating Ryle’s character distinguishes through the stereotype of abusers and drawing them as one-sided evil. It is the same Huehner who shows him as a man with his problems and complex, and this is why tragedy is in his actions. Such an example can be taken from Ryle’s character, a man perfectly looking at the outside however with a lot of internal problems that arise inactivity in the form of hurting other people.

Atlas Corrigan: At last, Atlas symbolization of a healthy relationship that should exist in a couple. He is gentle, and tolerant and never loses his temper with her, and gives Lily the love and respect she needs. Atlas’s character is presented as an antithesis to Ryle to show the contrast in whether a relationship can be healthy when it is based on cooperation or whether it should be based on force and domination. Specifically, the reappearance of Atlas in her life becomes the stimulus that pushes her to reconsider her status with Ryle, leading her to decide to end the relationship.

Lily’s Mother: Lily’s mother is another interesting character in the play but she’s a secondary character Nonetheless, she is significant in the play. These three motifs of domestic abuse as seen in the movie are significant to understanding the character of Lily and her views on love and romance. for the novel, Lily recalls aspects of her mother’s character and, most pertinently, the invincibility she sees in her eye – this same indomitableness is what enables the child to rip herself away from Ryle. Lily’s mother is depicted as a typical representation of women in the older generation who never spoke against their male partners who were abusive to them; this is why Lily leaving Ryle represents a generation leap.

Pacing and Tension

Hoover very effectively creates suspense in the novel; the reader is drawn into Lily’s world and interests himself. The structure is good, where the focus is shifted from action and conflict to character introspection and vice versa. The description of Lily in the life of the characters during her teenage years through the technique of the flashback enriches the narrative of the story.

This is even when her relationship with Ryle escalates to become tense, as he becomes intolerant of her illness. All in all, this portrayal of the abuse is very realistic, fitting to the feelings of fear and confusion, and the heartbreak that Lily, the character of Hoover, happens to be. The news of the pregnancy in the middle of the movie complicates the story even more as it puts Lily in front of the decision of her life.

The epiphany that is served at the climax of the novel can be seen as disturbing while at the same time empowering. While the scene of toying with departure from Ryle is dramatic, the main emphasis is made on the victorious decision made by the protagonist – to escape the abusive man for her and her child’s sake. The final of the story is rather mixed the main heroine finally gathers the courage and decides to go on but on the other hand; she has to start from scratch leaving behind the man she could still love.

Critique and Reflection

It Ends with Us is a deeply moving book that focuses on important issues and despite such theme; it is hopeful and heartwarming. Domestic abuse presented in Hoover’s novel is very realistic and detailed, describing all the stages of an abusive relationship and the emotional state of the victims. The novel is a word of reassurance that one’s self-worth is imperative and that it takes a lot of bravery to escape a toxic connection.

Overall, the strength of the book is that Hoover makes her characters complex. For instance, Ryle is a rather developed character who makes the readers discuss the actions of a traumatized person. Though it is unjustifiable, Hoover enlightens the audience concerning factors that led to him being an abuser thus making him a more rounded character.

However, looking at the pedophile protagonist Ryle or perhaps better regressing to him a reader could have some issue with the redemption that comes with being shot. Hoover does not apologize for his actions though the focus on the childhood trauma makes some people root for him in some way thus diminishing the heinous crime he committed. Nevertheless, one should recall that the search for the motives of abusive behavior does not entail a justification for that behavior.

Another criticism of the novel is that the main character’s victory at the end is somewhat too organized to be convincing. The ending of this play is also optimistic and for this we see Lily.

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