Barfly: A Diary into Domestic Violence

by Jory Ames

I had a sense of humor, a new master's degree, and a relationship that was ending. I was free. I was also very lonely in my cabin in the woods near a town I didn't know. I chose to walk into a bar that day to "meet my town." Instead, what I met were several men, and I decided to write their stories, until I met him. The one I would fall in love with. The one who would beat me. My diary details it my struggle to understand what was happening to me, and my attempts to find safety in other men. The barfly was trapped on the dusty spider web of a small town, with nowhere to go. The abuser was the spider. Or was it the town? Could I find a way out of the "relationship" that was slowly killing my will to live? How could I ever escape him? I was in my late twenties and fairly naive. This diary tells how a trusting woman can become a victim. I hope my story helps show how easy it is for an abuser to get into a woman’s life, destroy it, and leave her powerless. I thought I could change him, but I had to learn that is impossible.

213 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2023