If I Am Missing Or Dead ...
by Janine Latus
Arrow, HK$107
Janine Latus' If I am Missing or Dead is an excruciating read. But then anyone who scans the back cover will know he or she is in for not only a chronicle of domestic abuse but also lots of unbearable detail. The book concerns the violent relationships that consumed the lives of Latus and her younger sister, Amy. Latus survived, Amy was killed. Even though readers will probably have heard similar stories, they will feel winded knowing both women rationalised time and again why men subjected them to emotional abuse or hit them. Adding punch to the narrative is Latus' unsentimental language, which begins when she looks at the way the pair were brought up.
They shared a creepy father who continued to kiss them on the lips long after he should have stopped. As an adult Latus flees from a violent partner into the arms of another psychopath. This one encourages her to enhance her breasts and dress like a slut. Similarly, Amy careens from one bad choice to another. So worried is she about her last boyfriend she writes the county sheriff a note that inspired the book's title. Why didn't they seek help? Latus writes: 'You can't tell people the truth... until you're ready to get out.'