Literary Old Ladies--Alice Munro

I received a few book recommendations yesterday from a connoisseur of literature penned by old ladies of a particular generation. She expressed the fact that these authors all write in a style indicative of their age, and gender. There is something quaint, subtle, and richly complex about stories written, in this case, by Alice Munro, which I discovered upon checking her book Open Secrets out of the local library.

At first, I was unaccustomed to the style that reminded me of some of the short stories I read in a college English class dedicated to the literary form. These days, I usually read fiction that is more contemporary or more experimental or avant-garde. But oftentimes, these stories, if they are not focused on language in a way that transcends plot, fall short of my expectations. The characterizations are often shallow and lacking in complexity. But Alice Munro stories come from a hand versed in the literature of a different time, when plot mattered and simple realism was placed on a pedestal.

My friend was right. Alice Munro writes beautifully about normal country folk with complex personalities.