by Alice Munro
First published 2001
Johanna, a red-haired housekeeper approaching middle age, receives what appears to be a love letter from her employer's absent son. The letter promises marriage and a new life out west. Johanna believes the words are real and makes a life-changing decision to follow this correspondence to its source. She discovers the letter was actually a teenage prank, but her journey leads to unexpected possibilities. The story reveals how a cruel joke can accidentally open doors that seemed permanently closed. Meanwhile, other characters navigate their own turning points. A college student uncovers family secrets while visiting her aunt. A man who cheated throughout his marriage faces consequences when he places his wife in a care facility. A young woman beats cancer and must rebuild her relationship with the future. An older woman remembers a passionate afternoon that shaped decades of her life. These nine stories explore how single moments can redirect entire lives.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
323 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf