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Adult life Quote by Alice Munro

“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east of Huron County. We passed a country store standing empty at a crossroads. It had old-fashioned store windows, with long narrow panes. Out in front there was a stand for gas pumps which…” quote by Alice Munro
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““Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east of Huron County. We passed a country store standing empty at a crossroads. It had old-fashioned store windows, with long narrow panes. Out in front there was a stand for gas pumps which weren't there anymore. Close beside it was a mound of sumac trees and strangling vines, into which all kinds of junk had been thrown. The sumacs jogged my memory and I looked back at the store. It seemed to me that I had been here once, and the the scene was connected with some disappointment or dismay. I knew that I had never driven this way before in my adult life and I did not think I could have come here as a child. It was too far from home. Most of our drives out of town where to my grandparents'house in Blyth--they had retired there after they sold the farm. And once a summer we drove to the lake at Goderich. But even as I was saying this to my husband I remembered the disappointment. Ice cream. Then I remembered everything--the trip my father and I had made to Muskoka in 1941, when my mother was already there, selling furs at the Pine Tree Hotel north of Gravehurst.””

Alice Munro

About This Quote

A nostalgic recollection of a forgotten rural landscape triggers a cascade of personal memories, linking places, family trips, and emotional undercurrents of loss and longing.

In simple terms: Memory is sparked by a deserted store and its surroundings.

Key Takeaway

Physical places can unlock deep, layered recollections.

Themes

nostalgia place‑memory family history disappointment rural decay

Mood

reflective melancholic wistful

Type

personal anecdote descriptive vignette

When to use this quote

  • driving through unfamiliar countryside
  • passing an abandoned shop
  • recalling childhood trips
  • reflecting on family journeys

Key Concepts

environment as trigger intergenerational travel emotional resonance

Practical Applications

  • creative writing inspiration
  • psychological exploration of memory

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does this scene reveal about how we anchor memories to places?
  • How do forgotten spaces shape our sense of identity?
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