February 2025

I read DEAR SISTER last fall as I prepared for an interview at the Morristown Festival of Books with its author, Michelle Horton. I always thought that if a person killed someone in self-defense, he or she would be acquitted. I was so far off the mark.

Michelle writes about her sister, Nikki, who was in an abusive relationship for nine years. When her partner went to shoot Nikki and himself, which would make their children orphans, Nikki grabbed the gun and shot him. She had hidden the abuse from her family, masking it with long sleeves and excuses for her various wounds. But she confided in friends who were there to support her.

The night of the shooting, two police officers came to Michelle’s house and informed her that she needed to come to the police station to bring her sister’s children home. Unbeknownst to her, Nikki had been arrested for her partner’s murder. From there, readers unpack the story with Michelle, who is now mothering a two-year-old and a four-year-old, as well as her middle-school-aged son. She had been fresh from a divorce and building a new life for herself. That’s a lot, but everything points to Nikki having righteousness on her side. Until the state presents their case and evidence is omitted, sending Nikki to jail.

Michelle shares each step with readers, presenting it in a way that unravels the past, while also showing the realities of the present and the future. She now is toilet training her niece and soothing her nephew, while ensuring that her son is adjusting to life with his cousins. Michelle reaches out to a number of women who were aware of Nikki’s issues and were documenting what was going on, but the courts took a different view. Although there was huge support for Nikki from women’s advocacy groups, she still was trapped in the system. Michelle beautifully relays how she handled the children, including therapy. She tried to keep life “normal” even as they made frequent visits to prison.

Nikki was released on January 4, 2024 after the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act was enacted; she had served seven years. DEAR SISTER was published in hardcover at the end of that month. The paperback edition includes an extra chapter from Michelle and one from Nikki. The latter is eye-opening as it gives insight into how the many years of abuse and her jail sentence have taken their toll on Nikki. Readers will see what her last 16 years were like and the emotional scars that resulted from her ordeal.

While I learned this week that Nikki’s story was covered on “48 Hours,” and then later on “Nightline” and “20/20,” I knew nothing about it. It shows how we can be siloed in getting information.

Certain books are eye openers, and this is one of them. I encourage reading it and then exploring what the laws are like in your state for victims of domestic violence. You may be as surprised as I was that the law does not stand the way you would presume it would. DEAR SISTER would make for a great book group discussion. If you missed my interview with Michelle, be sure to watch the video or listen to the podcast.