In honor of Alice Munro’s Nobel prize, I asked Jim for Alice Munro stories that he especially loves. The first story that came to his mind was “”Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.” It begins:
Years ago, before the train stopped running on so many of the branch lines, a woman with a high, freckled forehead and a frizz of reddish hair came into the railway station and inquired about shipping furniture.
The station agent often tried a little teasing with women, especially the plain ones who seem to appreciate it.
“Furnture?” he said, as if no one had such an idea before. “Well. Now. What kind of furniture are we talking about?”
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Jim Shepard 