I don’t know that I can ever excuse a parent acting towards their child in this manner
HOWEVER
I have experienced depression firsthand and I can tell you it makes you a terrible person to everyone around you. For me, it was a similar feeling to the mc where I just hated myself so f ing much that I couldn’t bring myself to even deal with other people.
From my understanding based on my studies, postpartum depression can be even more severe, especially when the mc realised that her “choice” was no choice at all. And to be honest, you don’t have to ‘excuse’ her actions to like her. It just shows the true depth of the characterisation. It’s not about ‘forgiving’ but ‘understanding’.
Ella didn’t really hate her child, but she was too consumed with her own misery, to provide him any love.
Basically, I hope none of you ever have to go through it, so while I’m frustrated people don’t understand, I’m also happy you can’t :’)