“Dear Life: Stories” by Alice Munro – The Moment of Change

Life keeps on going forward, and too often we find ourselves looking behind us for moments, days, weeks, months and years even, trying to find out how we got to where we are. In other words, we often try to reconstruct our actions to find out where we have crossed the point of no return, perhaps in hope of finding at least some kind of sense in a situation that makes none.

Dear Life: Stores by Alice Munro is a collection of numerous short stories which are, in one way or another, centered on the concept of the point of no return, that one moment where things became different. 

These thematically-linked stories include that of a soldier who becomes emotionally isolated from his fiancée, a young teacher suddenly abandoned by her employer, a mother who is both cheating and neglecting her children, and a father whose life is torn apart by the guilt inside of him.

What can I say about Alice Munro that hasn’t been said already time and time again? She truly is a wordsmith at the pinnacle of her trade, weaving together smooth rivers of colorful and vivid words which convey exactly what she wants to, no more no less. Her sense of timing and flow are impeccable; there are no imperfections, with events always advancing at a speed that simply feels appropriate for them. 

You aren’t going to find yourself lost because things are moving too fast, nor will you roll your eyes out of boredom. From a technical standpoint, this collection of stories sure is something to behold, and though I do believe that writers should strive to have their own styles, I wouldn’t mind if Munro’s writings were used as examples of the images and stories that can be painted with words.

As far as the stories themselves go, I have to say that the theme they all follow is quite an interesting one to explore, and Munro has her fair share of opinions to express, gained from both experience and reflections. 

Despite all of them having the same theme, each story feels quite unique and the collection will bring out virtually all the emotions known to man from the reader, from absolute love, through bottomless spite, to sheer indifference. 

I believe that these stories also acquire some extra meaning due to them being autobiographical in nature; many of the ideas and events within them were drawn from Munro’s own life experiences, basically allowing her to impart on the reader the many teachings life gifted her with.

All in all, Alice Munro truly is a fantastic writer with very few equals out there, and if you often find yourself pausing to think about life itself, how and why events unfold the way they do, then I definitely recommend you check out Dear Life: Stories; it will certainly give you some food for thought.

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Alice Ann Munro Alice Munro is a famous Canadian author who has gained a reputation as an extremely talented and even groundbreaking writer. In 2013 she has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. In announcing its decision, the Swedish Academy called the 82-year-old writer a "master of the contemporary short story." Many of the techniques and devices introduced in her short stories were considered revolutionary, with some of her more popular works including The Beggar Maid and Lives of Girls and Women.