break the circle
break the circle —It ends with us, by its original English title—is a contemporary novel written by American author Colleen Hoover. The work was published in the collection of Planeta Internacional in 2022. Since its publication, it quickly became a phenomenon on social networks, especially on YouTube, Instagram and Tik Tok, where its countless reviews encourage readers to give it a try. the history.
The influence of online content creators and platforms is remarkable. Thanks to them, great titles like The invisible life of Addie LaRue, by VE Schwab, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, or the graphic novel heart stopper, by Alice Oseman, have achieved a massive reach that they probably could not have achieved through traditional media. Fortunately, break the circle also it went viral.
Synopsis of break the circle
Break the romanticization of toxic behaviors
Significantly the romanticization of abuse and toxic relationships are the common denominator of many contemporary stories. Famous and beloved sagas like Twilightby Stephenie Meyer Fifty Shades, from EL James or After, by Anna Todd, prove it. The abuse of power, the control of the partner and the limitations in social circles are planned as something not only normal, but also desirable.
in his novel break the circle, Colleen Hoover breaks the stereotype brilliantly. It is possible that it is due to her education as a social worker, but the way in which she approaches the subject is carried out through realistic characters, with convictions, personalities and problems that could draw a real couple who walks the path of little affective bonds. healthy.
Seeing is not the same as living
The plot of the novel begins when Lily, a twenty-three-year-old girl, stands on a Boston rooftop while think about the gruesome speech he gave hours ago to honor the recent death of his father.
The truth is that the protagonist did not have a healthy bond with her father. And it is not surprising that this was the case, since the man had an abusive relationship with his mother, a situation against which the woman never defended herself. After those difficult chapters that she had to witness in her home, Lily considers that her mother is weak.
The young woman determines that she will be attentive to any sign of abuse in her future relationships. Consequently: no one is going to lay a hand on her, because she is a strong, independent, studied woman, who knows what she wants from life and what she doesn't too.
However, when smart and charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid comes into her life, all its structures apparently impassable fracture. A short time later, almost hopelessly, Lily ends up in the same position that her mother was in.
The conflict in between
The moment in which Lily and Ryle meet it could not be described as “magical”. However, these two characters are able to face a conversation where they share their fears, mistakes and dreams, because they do not believe they will meet again. Later they will realize that fate is capricious, and it makes them coincide to wrap them up in a beautiful romance that lasts until half of the novel.
Until there, the story that unfolds in break the circle It doesn't seem very innovative. But it is, especially if you take into account the narrative quality of the book. At some point in Lily and Ryle's romance, Atlas, the man who used to be Lily's soul mate, appears. his pillar. Thereafter, the main character's current love interest shows her true colors.
Justification is the butter on the toast of abuse
The reappearance of Atlas brings with it a series of dire consequences for Lily's new bond.. The good times that he had built up until then with Ryle are still there, but now they are tinged with the shadows of mistrust, jealousy, manipulation, and, ultimately, physical abuse.
All the actions of the man are, to some extent, justified by the protagonist. This, of course, until she reaches her breaking point. The way the relationship descends is dramatic in its fair measure. In break the circle there are very hard moments to read, events in which everything breaks and there seems to be no way out.
Lily must make a resolution that is not easy in any context, and, even so, Colleen Hoover writes the denouement with elegance and brilliance, giving its protagonist and the readers a light at the end of the tunnel: the possibility of surviving after the storm.
break the circle is a title that allows reflect about the decisions we make. Also, it highlights the courage it takes to love yourself above others. But above all, it is about empathy, forgiveness and hope.
About the author,
Colleen hoover
Colleen Hoover was born in 1979, in Sulfur Springs, Texas, United States. She earned a degree in social work from Texas A & M University-Commerce. Years later she married Heath Hoover, with whom she had three children. Since then she had a passion for writing stories, but it was not until 2012 that he published his first novel. Soon, the author went from being unknown to being one of the most widely read writers in her country.
The same year that his debut feature, Hoover appeared on the best-seller list of the New York Times. Likewise, she was designated as the number one author in the same newspaper. Since then, Ella Colleen has devoted herself to writing full-time, creating some of the best-selling novels internationally to become an icon of contemporary literature.
Other books by Colleen Hoover
- Slammed — love in verse (2012);
- Point of Retreat — Love in verse II (2012);
- this girl — Love in Verse III (2013);
- father's kiss — Love in Verse III (2014);
- Hopeless — Touching the sky (2012);
- losing hope — Hopeless II (2013);
- Finding Cinderella — Hopeless short story (2013);
- Maybe tomorrow (2014);
- Maybe Not (2014);
- ugly love (2014);
- never never — Never never (2015)
- He confesses (2015);
- November 9 (2015);
- Too Late (2016);
- without merit (2017);
- All Your Perfects (2018);
- Maybe Now — sequel to Maybe tomorrow (2018);
- the shadow of deceit (2018);
- regretting you — in spite of you (2019);
- Heart Bones (2020);
- Layla (2020);
- All das Ungesagte zwischen uns (2020);
- Reminders of Him (2022);
- It Starts With Us — Begin the Beguine (2022)