It Ends with Us
A contemporary romance novel whose central subject is domestic abuse: the protagonist grows up watching her father abuse her mother and then finds herself in a violent marriage as an adult. The book contains graphic depictions of physical and sexual violence, explicit consensual sexual content, and a range of other heavy themes including attempted rape, suicide references, and alcohol-fuelled violence.
Chapters to know about
Lily sits on a rooftop ledge reflecting on death and suicide in a contemplative, not active, way; another character mistakes her for being in danger and asks her to step down.
Lily discloses to Ryle that her father was physically abusive toward her mother throughout her childhood; this framing conversation introduces the cycle-of-abuse theme that runs through the entire novel.
Flashback diary chapters show Lily witnessing her father's repeated violence against her mother, including choking and an attempted rape, while Lily was a child in the home.