“There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.” – Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us
Content warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of rape and sexual assault.
The novel It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover has garnered bouts of publicity since its publication. It went viral on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, and is now one of the most popular books on Goodreads. As of now, public reception of It Ends with Us is overwhelmingly positive; However, after I read the novel, it left an unshakable sour taste in my mouth.
Colleen Hoover is an American author of romance and young adult fiction books, her most notable being It Ends with Us. Her novels generally revolve around themes of abuse and domestic violence, which is consist with this particular work. It Ends With Us is the story of the relationship between Lily and Ryle, a young newlywed couple living in Boston. Lily works as a florist and entrepreneur, and Ryle is a talented neurosurgeon. Early in their relationship, Ryle begins to physically abuse Lily. After the initial display of abuse, Ryle is portrayed as a man who desperately wants to be good, but is suffering from internal conflicts (mainly residual effects of prior trauma). The first two incidents occur in a “heat of the moment” manner in which Ryle looses his temper; However, the third incident reveals Ryle to be sadistic, calculated, and cruel through his attack.
In summary, Ryle discovers a sentimental gift given to Lily by her high school boyfriend. Because of this, Ryle spirals into a fit of jealous rage, causing him to create a calculated plan of abuse against Lily. Ryle waits for Lily to get home from work in the dark where he initiates a sexual encounter with her. While in the midst of the encounter, Ryle holds up the gift and demands Lily to tell him who gave it to her. To spare the details, Lily asks him to stop and Ryle continues to physically assault her until she is knocked unconscious. During her unconsciousness, Ryle “snaps out of it,” then expresses remorse to Lily. However, Ryle didn’t “snap into it.” His attack was planned and calculated, and carried out almost methodically.
While in the ER being treated for injuries, Lily learns she is pregnant with Ryle’s child. Lily quarrels with the question of what to do, given that she still loves Ryle and clings onto hope of their relationship despite the physical abuse. However, Lily ends up divorcing Ryle and breaks the cycle of abuse. But the book does not end there. At the end of the novel, in presumably a redemption arc for Ryle, Lily and Ryle can be seen amicably coparenting their children. Lily ultimately decides that parents must “work through their differences” in order to do what’s best for the child.
It Ends With Us feeds into toxic masculinity and romanticizes “red-flags” as well as a male lead with “inner troubles.” Despite its quest to do exactly the opposite, It Ends With Us delivers an extremely anti-feminist message, especially with the conclusion of Ryle’s redemption arc. For some reason, people see this story as one of female empowerment, but to me that message is emphatically contradicted.
