Books: Runaway

Runaway
By Alice Munro
Copyright 2004
335 pages

This was my book club's book of choice for January. Alice Munro in 2013 received the Nobel Prize in Literature for her stories.

I confess I have not yet finished the book. I read the first three short stories. I usually don't review a book until I have read it all, but I don't expect to finish this any time soon.

The stories are about women who are, well, runaways. They are running from their lives, their husbands, their parents. They are portrayed as rather weak and ineffective people in some of these stories, as well as manipulative and easily manipulated.

The writing is very literary in nature, and I normally enjoy this, but I found these stories depressing. Perhaps it is simply the time of year or the place I am in my life, but I am in the mood for a little more light-hearted reading these days. Life is tough enough without the things I read reminding me of that fact.

I also was a little appalled when I realized that much of my fiction writing is similar to this in tone. I think I need to change my style and find my genre. I always thought I wanted to be a literary writer, but I think now I would rather just be a good writer.

Munro has written numerous books, none of which I have read. I would pick up her other work without question, because I can tell from the clarity of the writing that she is, without a doubt, a great literary writer. And I probably will finish this book at some point. Just not right now.