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Summary
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in It Ends with Us, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cycles of Abuse
Naked Truths
Good and Evil
Chosen Family
Summary
Analysis
Lily sits on the ledge of a twelve-story building’s roof. She doesn’t think about suicide, but she does consider death. Earlier that day she attended her father’s funeral and delivered a memorable eulogy before abruptly flying home. She suspects her mother won’t talk to her for the next year. Unlike eulogies that famous people give for beloved figures, Lily doesn’t believe that many people will remember her speech. Her father was well known in their community, however, as the mayor and an accomplished real estate agent in their town.
That the novel opens with Lily sitting on the edge of a tall building, considering the idea of suicide, gives the novel an immediate sense of poignancy, if not danger. Her decision to find a high rooftop upon landing back in Boston symbolizes her desire for perspective on the day’s events. Lily’s father’s death and her botched eulogy have made her deeply consider her life, her past, and her relationships. Her thoughts on the matter are tinged with resentment; her mother appears easy to upset, and Lily’s seems to feel she is living in the shadow of her father’s reputation.
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Lily feels like an embarrassing misfit compared to her successful father. She imagines that people remember her as a girl with haphazard red hair who once, to her family’s shame, dated a homeless guy. Lily had been eager to leave town after the funeral, hopping on the earliest plane she could find back to her home in Boston. Upon landing, she went to the first tall building she saw, knowing it would offer more quiet, fresh air, and removal than her three-story building, which has no rooftop space and an annoying roommate who sings in the common space. Now, as Lily sits on the roof of the tall building, the beauty of the night sky eclipses Lily’s feelings about her father’s death, her embarrassing eulogy, and her singing roommate.
The disparity between Lily’s success and her father’s success bothers her, and she is aware that her reputation in her hometown does not reflect well upon her—especially because of her romantic history. For these reasons, Lily has a troubled relationship to her past. Because her hometown embodies that past, she leaves town as soon as the funeral is over. Though she flees those bad memories geographically, she finds that emotionally, they have followed her home. She finds this rooftop not only because it is a fitting setting for her thoughtful mood, but also because it is one place she knows she can be alone to think.
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Suddenly, a man (Ryle) arrives on the roof, slamming the door behind him and disturbing Lily’s calm refuge. His presence makes Lily wary of staying, but she doesn’t want to leave yet. The man’s silhouette shows he’s tall and broad-shouldered. Lily can see that he’s having a vulnerable moment as he holds his head in his hands and takes deep, audible breaths. He doesn’t see her, and Lily doesn’t try to catch his attention. His emotions escalate; he kicks viciously at a chair. The chair moves with each blow but is undamaged, making Lily suspect it’s made from marine-grade polymer. Lily envies the outlet he has for his anger. She used to garden when she was stressed, but she doesn’t have the space for in now that she lives in the city.
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Lily watches the man (Ryle) as his anger ebbs. She observes his large bicep muscles, which bulge against his t-shirt He smokes a joint, only noticing her as he exhales. She can see him studying her from where he stands ten feet away, but she can’t tell what he is thinking. When he asks her name, his voice stirs a feeling in the depths of her stomach. Once she tells him her name, he begs her to get down from the ledge, thinking she was considering hurting herself. She reassures him that she’s safe and comfortable.
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When Lily refuses to give in to the man’s (Ryle) efforts to coax her off the ledge, he tells her that he’s seen enough death that day and that she’s ruining his high. This compels her to climb down off the edge, and as she does, she sees he’s not only attractive, but older, well-groomed, and obviously wealthy. He is wearing a designer t-shirt and has an expression that makes her think people usually feed his ego. He stands to join her against the ledge and offers her a hit of his marijuana. She declines but takes notice of the way his voice continues to affect her, almost like a drug in its own right.
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Lily asks the man (Ryle) why he was kicking the chair. He doesn’t answer; instead, he studies her with his intensely dark eyes. She asks if he is upset over a woman. He responds that he wishes his problems were that small. He asks her where she lives in this building. Lily admits she doesn’t live there but rather in a small three-story building near an insurance building visible from their vantage point. He asks if she’s there to see her boyfriend, but she admits that she only came for the quiet of the roof patio, which she found on an internet map.
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They agree to sit silently, but the man (Ryle) quickly interrupts to tell Lily that a man fell off the roof recently. She asks if it was intentional, but the man doesn’t know. He explains that the fallen man had come to the roof to take pictures, and he hopes the fallen man at least got the shot he wanted before he died. Lily asks him if he is always so forthright, and he admits that he usually isn’t. That this stranger has confided in Lily makes Lily feel special.
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Lily and the man discuss how neither is a Boston native. He moved for his neurosurgery residency and to be near his sister, who owns the top floor of the building thanks to her husband’s tech money. They continue to talk and exchange names. The man is named Ryle Kincaid, which Lily thinks is a great name. Lily reveals her full name is Lily Blossom Bloom, which bothers her, especially since she wants to open a flower shop but feels her name is too on the nose. She also tells him that she has a master’s in business, so her plan feels like a downgrade. Ryle affirms her dream but understands her frustration over her name, commenting that her parents must be “real assholes.” Lily replies that her father just died.
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Ryle doesn’t believe Lily at first. When he asks if she was close with her father, she responds that their relationship was complex—often, she hated him as a person. Ryle tells her he likes her honesty, and they both express a desire that people were more transparent; more often than not, people pretend to be happier and more settled than they really are. Lily tells Ryle that she understands some people’s desire to put on appearances, as the “naked truth” isn’t often attractive.
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Ryle asks Lily to share a naked truth with him—something she’s ashamed of. She studies the contours of his face under the night sky, and she senses he needs to talk with her right now. Lily tells Ryle that her father abused her mother. After each incident, he’d always be extra attentive and loving to her mom to make up for his violence. He would reward Lily with pleasantness and gifts, too. She has always been embarrassed by the way she looked forward to this. She worries that she’s a bad person for it, just like her father. Ryle tells her that there are no evil people, only people who do evil things.
Lily asks Ryle to contribute his own truth. Ryle hesitates, but he eventually tells her that he saw a five-year-old boy die at work this evening. The boy’s younger brother had accidentally shot him. Lily is overwhelmed by Ryle’s admission. Ryle explains that he disagreed with his coworkers’ sympathy for the boys’ parents; Ryle thinks they should suffer for leaving a gun accessible. Instead, Ryle feels sympathy for the younger brother whose life will be forever ruined by this mistake. Lily asks if he ever gets used to seeing death every day, and he says that slowly he has.
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Ryle asks for another naked truth from Lily. She explains that when her mother asked her to give her father’s eulogy, Lily told her that she would cry too much to speak. Really, Lily didn’t want to write a eulogy because she had no respect for her father. But she gave in to her mother’s urging anyway. Lily tells Ryle that when she gave her speech earlier that day, she stood up in front of the crowd and said she would list five great things about him. Instead, she stood silently until her uncle ushered her off stage. She simply had nothing nice to say about him. In retrospect, she feels bad about her decision, but Ryle is impressed with her boldness.
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When Lily begs Ryle to share another truth so that she doesn’t feel like a terrible person, he tells her that he wants to have sex with her. Lily is shocked into silence. Ryle tells her that he thinks she’s beautiful, and if she is interested in a one-night stand, he’d take her downstairs. She tells him she is not into casual sex. Ryle tells her it’s her turn to share a truth then, but Lily is still reeling from his bluntness.
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Lily regains her composure and tells Ryle that the first person she had sex with was homeless. Ryle immediately wants to know more. Lily explains that his name was Atlas, and he squatted in the abandoned house behind hers in the small Maine town where she grew up. They became friends; only she knew he lived there. Eventually, her father found out and beat Atlas. Lily stops talking, no longer wanting to talk about the subject.
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Ryle shares that he finds marriage revolting. Though he is almost thirty, he has no interest in finding a wife or having children; his only desire it to be the top neurosurgeon in his field. Despite his mother’s desire for him to have a family, he feels his high standards would be unfair to impose on others. Lily thinks it is admirable to admit he’s too selfish to be a father. He explains that he indulges in one-night stands to meet his needs since he doesn’t want to be in a relationship with anyone. This way, love never becomes a burden.
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Lily admits that she’s always on the search for the perfect man, and she’s always disappointed when men don’t meet her standards. Ryle suggests she try his method: casual sex. Lily tells him that she couldn’t have sex with anyone she doesn’t see a future with. The intensity of Ryle’s gaze makes her wish this wasn’t the case. He drags her chair up against his own. He lays his hand on her stomach and asks how physical she’d be willing to get. She says she isn’t sure, enjoying the feeling as he runs his hands up under her shirt. His phone rings suddenly.
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Ryle is called into the hospital for work. Before he leaves, he takes a picture of Lily with his phone. He tells her he hopes that she’ll pursue her dreams and open a flower shop. She can tell he is disappointed about needing to leave. As he walks away, Lily is surprised at how much she was able to connect to someone so different from her. She finds that she is now sad to be alone on the rooftop when before it was all she wanted.
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