Regan’s answer to “Anyone finished who wants to discuss the ending? I am still not sure how I feel about it, am rumin…” > Likes and Comments
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Was my thought exactly too
I wondered if that is what happened also.
Early on in the book her mother told her, "There are two things you'll never regret; having children and taking a swim", and then changed that at the very end changed that to "There are some swims you do regret". That made me think she was going to drown on the last swim.
No! I didn't think of that. I thought because she found out that he also abused his sister, maybe she was alleviated from her guilt.
That was my thought too, but then decided she wouldn't do that to her kids.
The more I think about this book, the more the narrator was beyond broken. She thought that her kids were better off without her because she would have been better off without her dad. Even when she found some redemption when she found out her step brother was abusing his sister, it still wasn’t enough for her to get past the shame. To her it wasn’t what she had done that was bad, but that she truly believed she was an awful person. I it’s a story about how secrets and shame can destroy normal, successful, beautiful people. It’s also a story about a long family history of abuse and neglect and she knew her kind, sweet proper husband would break that chain for her kids.
Very interesting, however I don’t think she would have done that to her children. Jonas knew, understood, and accepted everything and so perhaps she felt that life would be simpler with him. I think she was tired of trying to Mai rain the facade she had created with Peter.
Totally agree. I remember the drowning of the man in the pond.
Totally disagree, she had a lust for life, passion and loved too much-her kids the two men etc.
No she grew up in a broken family, I don’t think she would either leave her husband or kill herself to ruin her kids lives.
Broken people don’t make reasonable choices. Anna, YOU may never leave your kids motherless, but shame and abuse does some terrible shit to people. She believed she was doing best by her children by being gone from their lives. I do wish the author would have been a little more explicit so that readers could really have the understanding that “normal” people make crazy and irrational decisions. I mean, how many people who have taken their own lives who seemed to have everything? And if you don’t know anyone who has committed suicide, then you may just not have seen it up close and personal.
I think you could interpret it that she took off her ring (perhaps because she always did before she went swimming) and pressed it to the lifeline in her palm as if to say "This, my choice of this ring from my husband, is my life. Not the ring from my childhood friend/soulmate."
I was looking for this because I felt this too!! The whole book foreshadowed her putting her body in the water until her lungs burst, and her lying face down in the water, so peacefully.
I agree. I feel she committed suicide because she couldn't decide and knew her life was a mess.
I thought so too. Suicide is mentioned enough including when she talks about her and her sister feeling comfortable playing around the suicide graves. she definitely was struggling mentally. That’s what I thought was going to happen the whole time but then after I finished, I wasn’t sure.
I was wondering at the end if Jonas would drown in the pond after being rejected by the love of his life.
So glad to read that others thought Elle committed suicide too. I was so disappointed in Elle for not confiding in Peter the night before. It seemed like that was were the booking was heading, but I guess Elle just couldn't do it, and chose to just END it all. Disappointing end for sure.
It was shocking. When the book was done I felt deflated, wondering what just happened.
I disagree that she committed suicide. In this case I think that would be the author copping out, e.g. "I don't want to make her choose between the 2 men so I'll just kill her off."
I already returned the library book, so I don't have the exact words, but I recall early in the book Elle mentioning even if she tried to drown herself, she'd always choose survival. Also, isn't Jonas just on the other side of the pond? Wouldn't he dive in and race to save her?
I never even thought that she would commit suicide, and I am a bit disappointed in myself that I never considered it. I hated Elle and most of the characters in the book, although I though the book was well-written, At the end with her husband and cuddling with her children I assumed she chose then, Then when she took off her ring, I realized she was saying goodbye to all of them, She chose Jonas. I think it was a rotten thing to do to her children, to break up their family, as her childhood family was broken. But suicide would be even worse, But considering my low opinion of Elle, it would be just the cop out she would make. (Did I mention that I didn't like her?)
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Rosanne
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Sep 05, 2021 09:35AM
Was my thought exactly too
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I wondered if that is what happened also.
Early on in the book her mother told her, "There are two things you'll never regret; having children and taking a swim", and then changed that at the very end changed that to "There are some swims you do regret". That made me think she was going to drown on the last swim.
No! I didn't think of that. I thought because she found out that he also abused his sister, maybe she was alleviated from her guilt.
That was my thought too, but then decided she wouldn't do that to her kids.
The more I think about this book, the more the narrator was beyond broken. She thought that her kids were better off without her because she would have been better off without her dad. Even when she found some redemption when she found out her step brother was abusing his sister, it still wasn’t enough for her to get past the shame. To her it wasn’t what she had done that was bad, but that she truly believed she was an awful person. I it’s a story about how secrets and shame can destroy normal, successful, beautiful people. It’s also a story about a long family history of abuse and neglect and she knew her kind, sweet proper husband would break that chain for her kids.
Very interesting, however I don’t think she would have done that to her children. Jonas knew, understood, and accepted everything and so perhaps she felt that life would be simpler with him. I think she was tired of trying to Mai rain the facade she had created with Peter.
Totally agree. I remember the drowning of the man in the pond.
Totally disagree, she had a lust for life, passion and loved too much-her kids the two men etc.
No she grew up in a broken family, I don’t think she would either leave her husband or kill herself to ruin her kids lives.
Broken people don’t make reasonable choices. Anna, YOU may never leave your kids motherless, but shame and abuse does some terrible shit to people. She believed she was doing best by her children by being gone from their lives. I do wish the author would have been a little more explicit so that readers could really have the understanding that “normal” people make crazy and irrational decisions. I mean, how many people who have taken their own lives who seemed to have everything? And if you don’t know anyone who has committed suicide, then you may just not have seen it up close and personal.
I think you could interpret it that she took off her ring (perhaps because she always did before she went swimming) and pressed it to the lifeline in her palm as if to say "This, my choice of this ring from my husband, is my life. Not the ring from my childhood friend/soulmate."
I was looking for this because I felt this too!! The whole book foreshadowed her putting her body in the water until her lungs burst, and her lying face down in the water, so peacefully.
I agree. I feel she committed suicide because she couldn't decide and knew her life was a mess.
I thought so too. Suicide is mentioned enough including when she talks about her and her sister feeling comfortable playing around the suicide graves. she definitely was struggling mentally. That’s what I thought was going to happen the whole time but then after I finished, I wasn’t sure.
I was wondering at the end if Jonas would drown in the pond after being rejected by the love of his life.
So glad to read that others thought Elle committed suicide too. I was so disappointed in Elle for not confiding in Peter the night before. It seemed like that was were the booking was heading, but I guess Elle just couldn't do it, and chose to just END it all. Disappointing end for sure.
It was shocking. When the book was done I felt deflated, wondering what just happened.
I disagree that she committed suicide. In this case I think that would be the author copping out, e.g. "I don't want to make her choose between the 2 men so I'll just kill her off."
I already returned the library book, so I don't have the exact words, but I recall early in the book Elle mentioning even if she tried to drown herself, she'd always choose survival. Also, isn't Jonas just on the other side of the pond? Wouldn't he dive in and race to save her?
I never even thought that she would commit suicide, and I am a bit disappointed in myself that I never considered it. I hated Elle and most of the characters in the book, although I though the book was well-written, At the end with her husband and cuddling with her children I assumed she chose then, Then when she took off her ring, I realized she was saying goodbye to all of them, She chose Jonas. I think it was a rotten thing to do to her children, to break up their family, as her childhood family was broken. But suicide would be even worse, But considering my low opinion of Elle, it would be just the cop out she would make. (Did I mention that I didn't like her?)
