A review of the bestselling novel “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover
This novel was published in 2016 and, by the time that I read it almost a decade later, it had sold more than 7 million copies and been made into a film. Ironically, given that the subject of the book is abuse of women by men, the lead actress in the movie, Blake Lively, claimed sexual harassment from the film’s director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.
The novel is written in the present tense and in the first person, the voice being that of 23 year old flower shop owner Lily Bloom who has a passionate relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle. There are flashbacks in the form of journal pieces by Lily when she is aged 16 and befriended homeless student Atlas. This narrative structure presents an examination of two cases of marital abuse with different outcomes, making this an unusual and very readable romantic work with a social message.
Via the character of Lily, Hoover poses questions: “People spend so much time wondering why the women don’t leave. Where are all the people who wonder why the men are even abusive? Isn’t that where the only blame should be placed?”
For Hoover, the subject of abuse is personal: her father abused her mother who left him when Hoover was three. For me, the topic is equally personal: my dad abused my mum who left him when I was eight. Most readers of this novel are women – it is an ideal work for book clubs – but men should read it too and reflect on its important message.