Comments on: The End of Everything, Megan Abbott

By: Phoebe

Phoebe — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 16:36:05 +0000

WOw! I, like many other commenters, just finished reading this book and had to immediately google the plot and others opinions as the ending left me frustrated and unsatisfied. WHAT!?! Mr. Verver’s relationship with his daughters and Lizzie was NOT normal. I was really grossed out the entire book with Mr. Verver’s inappropriateness with his daughters and with Lizzie. His conversation topics, commentary, and lewdness are such red flags to grooming behavior and sexual abuse (I’ve worked with the dep’t of family and child services). And it is totally normal for the child (ren) to want to protect the adult, as they trust them and love them, and their behavior is normalized to them. I think that both sisters in this book are doing this…kind of like blood is thicker than water. I can’t believe Mrs. Verver never does/says anything…once again protecting those you love in your family, even though it is so wrong. I think that Evie’s easy going nature with Mr. Shaw, and her ability to not be shocked by his behavior and “let” him have sexual relations is a direct result of how her father has influenced her about boys, men, sex, and pleasing others. What a disturbing book! It was quite a page turner…I was up until 3:00 am until I finished it. These girls are experiencing puberty and exploring sexuality which is normal at that age. What is NOT normal is having extreme influences (verbal or physical) like Mr. Shaw and Mr. Verver (daddy figure)…this is very toxic, as these men set the stage for certain expectations, what the girls will think are societal norms, confidence, self worth, image, etc. Scary, and a good reminder that sexual abuse happens way more often then any of us would like to think, and it is most likely to happen within close families and friends which is icky. Here is an interesting resource to spread awareness. http://www.nsvrc.org/projects/child-sexual-assault-prevention/preventing-child-sexual-abuse-resources
I also agree with you that Lizzie seemed much older than 13. A traumatic experience such as what happened to Lizzie will make her jaded but man she really had some eloquent language and ideations. Thanks for the post.

By: Auburn S.

Auburn S. — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:51:12 +0000

I would characterize Mr. Verver’s relationship with his daughter as EMOTIONAL incest with no physical boundaries crossed. Evie longs for an intense relationship of her own and ends up brutalized by a darker version of what her father is. Lizzie is fatherless and, like Evie, envies and is fascinated by the energy that exists between Dusty and Mr. Verver.

Lizzie will have a chance at something more wholesome, I think, with her stepfather-to-be Dr. Aiken.

It is important to note how much stock Dusty puts in her father’s words, “I’ll always be your first.” She thinks she is the only one, but she is not. He said the same thing to Lizzie. This is the sort of thing an older person says to a virgin who has just given it up for the first time.

I had heavy duty crushes at thirteen on grown men teachers who weren’t at all attractive. I completely relate to the hidden sexuality of these girls and their ignorance/innocence about what it could really cost. The fact that Evie colludes with the rapist and protects his feelings speaks volumes to a reality I’ve never heard so elegantly exposed– In the end, all three girls collude with each other to protect the feelings of the inappropriate Mr. Verver. They are all hostages, sacrificing themselves to protect a man they believe they need in order to be fully alive and loved.

Thankfully Lizzie has her OWN family which might include a healthier dynamic. And she has held her own.

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:05:25 +0000

My feeling is that nothing has happened between Dusty and the father, but that’s not exactly right either. I think it’s pretty clear that Dusty has some highly sexualized feeling for her father (*shudder*) and that a lot of that, if not all, can be laid at the father’s feet. Talking about treasure trails to your teenaged daughter? Flirting with both the girls the way he did? So completely inappropriate.

That said, I found the whole thing completely disturbing. Not only was there this near incestuous relationship (with the mother pretty clearly aware something is wrong, right?), there’s the way Dusty perceived her sister as a romantic rival for their father’s attention. So much so that when Evie and Dusty had that final, terrible fight, Dusty almost killed her because she did not want to face her own longings nor the fact that it was unattainable and wrong. Just as disturbing was the kid who knew all about snuff films. At 13/14!

By: Waz

Waz — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:22:33 +0000

A lot of comments here on how the author should have been more definitive on the core subjects.

I disagree, the story is told from the point of view of someone close to the family, but not actually in the family. It’s that broken perspective that makes this so interesting, otherwise she could have regularly jumped to a Verner family memebers narrative.

Whatever an outsider thinks they know about the goings on within any given family on any given street, the reality could be very different.

By: DDC

DDC — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:27:39 +0000

Just finished Abbot’s new book, Dare Me. Enjoyable read but a little unclear at the end too. The high school cheerleaders seem, and speak, wise beyond their years but that’s really a minor quibble. More problematic for me (SPOILER!) was our narrator never pays the price for her actions on the big night. Also, there’s mention of a security camera, then we never hear about it again. This camera could have given a lot of plot away, and the author should have never mentioned it, or said it was broken later. The melodrama at the end concerning a main character is over the top and hard to believe. But I’d recommend the book, no doubt. Good noirish crime that wraps up, if not completely with regard to plot, more than adequately with regard to the several interesting characters involved. Plus you get the skinny on some badass cheerleaders and their athletic and risky routines. Guys like me are now watching them for their bravery — or at least we can tell ourselves that.

By: S

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:03:40 +0000

I agree with you. The whole book seemed to indicate Dusty had been sexually abused, and Evie wanted to escape that. It seems Lizzie wanted Mr. Verver and he almost crossed a line with her, too; I definitely think he was grooming her and she was welcoming it. I think Evie wanting to leave and Mrs. Verver becoming so quiet and mousy also point toward the father abusing Dusty.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:26:04 +0000

In reply to Archana Pai Kulkarni. I think I had the same impression of the book that you did. But I have a suspicious mind, so I wasn't sure if my view was biased. :p

By: Archana Pai Kulkarni

Archana Pai Kulkarni — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:36:30 +0000

Oh, I think so too, that the father abused not just Dusty but probably Evie too, and was grooming wide-eyed Lizzie, who has a crush on him, for similar abuse. I’m not sure whether Mr Verver went all the way or just crossed the line of fatherly appropriateness to a considerable extent. Lizzie’s mother’s comment about something not being quite right with the Ververs is potent. As also Evie’s confiding in Lizzie that though the father is pleased that she’s back, he must be thinking that something’s changed in her, is not the same as before (so does he detest the fact that another man has been as close to his daughter as he has or could have been? Does it hurt his male ego that his daughter chose to go away from him and into the arms of another older man and he finds her unfit after the violation for his own attention?) Is that why Evie apologises to her father? Does she worry that Dusty will still have the upper hand now? I wonder. There is certainly an undercurrent of sexual abuse and incest throughout though one cannot say that with certainty as the author has, I think, deliberately left it open-ended. As for Lizzie displaying a maturity beyond her age, I don’t find it surprising. Though she’s an exception, there are girls, who grow up before their prime, due to circumstances that force them to or because they are born with a certain wisdom that is uncommon. This is a very cleverly written book that keeps you guessing, that makes you want to hope that things are not as sinister or abusive as they seem to be but leaving enough room to keep you wondering whether you are right or wrong. Fact and fiction merge into each other in too many places. Only the writer can throw some light on this, I guess.

By: Kate Burnett

Kate Burnett — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:58:49 +0000

Jenny, I completely agree with your review. I googled the subject hoping that I had somehow missed something and that someone could answer my questions for me. I just finished reading this book and felt cheated out of the few hours I had spent on it. First of all I didn’t like the style, the short snappy sentences were trying to be edgy but they didn’t quite have the impact intended. In my personal opinion the writing was lazy in that the Author was constantly willing for the reader to make up their own mind. When she was “reaching for something” in her mind all the time, was that the final scene? because to me that was repeated over and over but not quite answered. Maybe I’m just annoyed that I didn’t get what I wanted from the story. If the aim of the book was to spark debate and interest, well she certainly achieved that.

By: Brandy

Brandy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:39:14 +0000

I took the ending as Dusty was being abused by the father, and Evie envied that relationship, being close and loved and cherished by a grown man, which is why she went for Mr Shaw. Honestly I suspected it at the beginning of the book, and then was like no, then had it thrown at me at the end. Sucks that the cat wasn’t let out of the bag and the dad arrested… I like things to end right.