This article contains discussions of domestic violence, gaslighting, and rape.
MAJOR SPOILERS for It Ends With Us are ahead!
Summary
Lily’s unreliable narrator line in the movie adaptation ofIt Ends With Usgives a nod to a major Lily Bloom character debate that has become prevalent since the novel’s resurgence in 2021 thanks to BookTok. The movie pulls its story and characters fromColleen Hoover’s controversial 2016 book, but it took many steps to fix the problematic and questionable elements from the source material.
In addition tochanging theIt Ends With Usbookfor the better, the movie included twohumorous, subtle meta moments early on that show self-awareness. The first moment occured when Lily made fun of Ryle’s name, alluding to the conversation surrounding Colleen Hoover’s characters' names. The second moment of self-awareness came when Lily told Ryle, “I’m not sure. I’m an unreliable narrator,” in response to his question about how far she’d go with a stranger. The line alludes to a debate that has existed among readers for at least a few years.
It Ends With Us Ending Explained
The compelling ending of It Ends With Us sends an important and hopeful message about surviving abuse and breaking the cycle of violence.
Lily’s “Unreliable Narrator” Admission Calls Back To A Big It Ends With Us Debate
Many Fans Of The Book Have Debated The Accuracy Of Lily’s Perspective
After Colleen Hoover’s book became big, readers started debating the reliability of Lily’s account of events. Some people felt Ryle’s actions weren’t as horrible as she made them out to be. Others think Lily missed the red flags in Ryle and romanticized his behavior. Lily calling herself an “unreliable narrator” early on in the movie adaptation seems like a nod to theIt Ends With Uscharacter debate. It’s worth noting, though, that both of these arguments come across as victim-blaming when approached from a place of judgment instead of curiosity.
A victim doesn’t need to be perfect to deserve empathy.
Jealousy didn’t give Ryle an excuse to abuse Lily, so his actions were as bad as she made them out to be. Moreover, Lily missing and/or romanticizing Ryle’s red flags didn’t make her at fault. She was raised in an abusive household, which normalized domestic violence. Instead,Lily’s flaws as a narrator made her human, not responsible.A victim doesn’t need to be perfect to deserve empathy.
Plus, Lily experienced gaslighting at the hands of her abuser in both theColleen Hoover booksand the movie adaptation ofIt Ends With Us, making it so she was questioning her account of events alongside the readers. As such, the audience questioning her reliability should allow them to empathize with her more, not less.
It Ends With Us Fixes A Massive Ryle Controversy
By fixing one of the most controversial parts of Ryle’s storyline, the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us offers hope for survivors of abuse.
The “Unreliable Narrator” Point Doesn’t Change Lily’s Trauma
Lily’s Trauma Is Valid Even If She’s Not The Most Reliable Narrator
While the question of a narrator’s reliability is interesting, judgments on the matter can distract from the bigger messages and themes inIt Ends With Us. No matter how she viewed the situation, the objective fact is that Lily was abused at the hands of her husband.She was backhanded, pushed down the stairs, bitten, and nearly raped. Those experiences are all severely traumatizing.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, it is not your fault and help is available. Please call the domestic violence hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visitthehotline.org.
Additionally, the only person responsible for Ryle’s abuse was Ryle. Her strength in surviving, leaving, and making a better life for her daughter should be commended, no matter how her biases influenced her perspective. Her choice to raise Emerson alone in the movie adaptation ofIt Ends With Usprevented her daughter from witnessing or experiencing abuse at the hands of her father.
