Eve Livingston sensitively draws us into the worlds of two women who share a similar past: abusive partners who committed suicide. Through powerful scene‑setting, we’re there when each woman hears the news, and we feel the complex emotions these deaths provoke. This is a difficult, complicated subject—not often tackled. Livingston bravely shines a light on how, in these particular circumstances, suicide can bring both grief and relief.

Things started as they so often do: he was older, professionally successful in a similar field to Siri’s, and there was something “magnetic” about him. There was also, she came to realise, a darkness beneath the surface. A tragic bereavement in his past had left him struggling with his mental health, something which immediately evoked sympathy in Siri and made him seem a deeper and more sensitive person, qualities she was drawn to. At the beginning of their relationship, he would often turn up uninvited to her home or events she was attending, or bombard her with messages — behaviour she now views as stalking, but found flattering in those hazy early days of a new relationship.

More picks that tackle domestic violence

Tired of Losing

Julie Poole | Economic Hardship Reporting Project / Slate | August 5, 2024 | 1,974 words

“Loss was at the root of it. When you’re tired of losing, you hold on to whatever you can.”

Woman in the Woods

Holly Haworth | The Bitter Southerner | September 8, 2024 | 2,884 words

“To me, the woods are an intricate tapestry in which I always try to see the bigger picture.”

In Memory of Nicole Brown Simpson

Andrea Dworkin | Free Press | 1997 | 3,494 words

“You won’t ever know the worst that happened to Nicole Brown Simpson in her marriage, because she is dead and cannot tell you. And if she were alive, remember, you wouldn’t believe her.”

What Happened to Heather Mayer?

Andy Mannix | The Star Tribune | June 2, 2023 | 10,330 words

“Police ruled Heather Mayer’s death a suicide. Her mother set out to prove them wrong and uncovered an escalating tale of violence.”