It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is a devastating portrayal of an abusive relationship, portraying the subtle ways that it can twist into something incredibly toxic. Here, we discuss why the book is still a vitally important read.
As the lockdowns hit in 2020 and 2021, reports highlighted the increased risk of harm for those affected by domestic abuse. For one of the first times, people began to fully understand how trapped people in these situations feel. Many have questioned why those who are the victims of domestic abuse do not leave, and perhaps the answer can be found in Colleen Hoover’s devastating novel It Ends With Us. The novel – based on her parents’ relationship – is a blistering and painfully honest look at the ways in which a seemingly perfect relationship (that between Ryle and Lily) can twist and turn into one of abuse. It explores the ways that victims can explain away and make deals with themselves to forgive abusive behaviour, but also explores how love and hatred toward their abuser can become intermingled and unable to delineate between the two.
In a sea of Colleen Hoover novels, It Ends With Us stands aside as an incredibly delicate, painful and raw novel – it is clear perhaps that this book more than any other meant something very important to Hoover. The delicate and tender care she takes with her prose is testament to that. Whilst the novel is propulsive and immensely readable, it is heart wrenchingly raw – a novel that shatters the heart with every turn of the page.
Pick up a copy here.
