| What you loved and loathed last month

Readers found Michael Lista’s piece on the tragic death of Elana Fric Shamji— allegedly at the hands of her husband— hard to read and yet impossible not to. In the words of one Redditor: “That story left me chilled to the bone.” And from another: “Wow, the author wrote it like a dramatic play.” And one more: “I’m not one for the death penalty, but this case is seriously making me reconsider my position.” A couple of more fulsome responses:

“The article struck me as a cautionary tale of the extreme danger women put themselves in when living with an abusive spouse. I say this not just because I have a degree in criminology but also because I lived through it as a child watching escalating abuse in my own home. I will never forget the fear and pain I felt one particular night when my father beat up my mother right in front of me. Shortly afterward, she bravely got us the hell out of there so we could both live a healthier and longer life. Statistics show that people are more likely to be murdered by someone they know and trust than by a stranger. Women need to realize that, without serious psychological help, their spouses will never change. The abuse will only escalate until they are seriously injured, or even killed. It is my sincere hope that this letter combined with Lista’s story will save somebody from becoming another statistic.”

—R. S., Thornhill “‘Love Story’ read like a Jekyll and Hyde murder saga and highlighted some disturbing patterns. Selfishness, ambition, egotism and inferiority complexes were driving forces in this couple’s dysfunctional relationship culminating in her death. Outward appearances are amazingly deceptive, and people go to great extremes to keep up the pretense.” nerve in the city would be the mother of all understatements. Herewith, a selective sampling of vent-fests that, in typically disinhibited online fashion, range from funny to ferocious:

—Jan Fine, Toronto