Wow, Huma - I loved this. So often I read short stories and wish that I could have an in depth discussion about them, so this was just gorgeous. I hadn't read the story before, but spent some time with it before returning your notes (and I already feel as though I'd like to read it again now I've taken in your thoughts).
I'm drawn to the dream. Is there a parallel with what happens to Grace do you think? Isn't she, in terms of what we end up being told about her (i.e. almost nothing) effectively shut in the basement? Discarded certainly fits - to Royce she is disposable.
That last line: 'A woman'. That after all this time, Royce remembered seeing Avie in the road - and in fact, barely recalled that he had been going to visit Grace - she lingered in his head, but in the end she was just like all the rest: emotional, preoccupied with feelings, maybe even nosy - was it a disappointment to him to realise she was merely human, rather than the idea he had of her when he saw her from the bus of being carefree, vivid, prettier than he'd ever seen her. Isn't that so often the case with men like this, they prefer the idea of a woman rather than the reality of her?
I'm rambling now, and always worry of course that I've completely misunderstood the whole thing, but my goodness I love the concept of this Substack!
PS Friday's story is actually not one online - it's in the collection Friend of My Youth, and I don't know whether that's something I need to consider; should I just do the stories that are available online? I'd welcome your thoughts x
Oh, Emily thank you for taking the time to read this, read the story, and then come back here! So much to talk about indeed... The dream: yes, I do think there's some kind of parallel with Grace, and it's what she ends up remembering when she writes the letter to Avie too. Like - she has become the same story that always scared her. And the last line - yes, when I read it, it's definitely in Royce's tone, like there's something so disparaging and disappointing about 'women' - I sensed it in relation to his disappointment with Avie more than Grace. And please, god no, I don't think there is any right way to read or understand - so you've definitely not misunderstood anything at all - and I'm just really thrilled that you love the concept of what I'm trying to do here - after sitting here, thinking - what am I trying to do?! You've just reminded me. Thank you x
Yes, definitely agree he was more disappointed with Avie. At this point it felt as though Grace was a dim and distant memory to him, although we might imagine that for her his visit was the point at which her entire life changed (an axis! of course!). I suppose, as you said, the trip was poignant for him too but because he found his passion in life, not because he caused so much trouble at home for Grace. So many layers when we think about things that happen in our lives... what a moment meant to me can be so different to what the same moment might have meant to someone else.
In terms of access to the stories, of course online makes it easier - it was lovely to be able to go and read this story immediately and come back for your thoughts. I felt like I gained a lot more that way. I wonder whether for your first few posts you look at stories that are available to read online and then - when people are sold on the idea of this being a very generous and useful endeavour, and they will be - you begin to weave in stories that aren't necessarily available online but give people advanced warning so they might be able to source a copy? Library, second hand bookshop, etc. Especially if you end up looking at a few from one collection. I am never averse to inviting a new book onto my shelves, but I do think being able to read the story alongside your notes is so worthwhile. But! It is your platform! However you proceed will be the right way.
And you are so right - I wish I had thought of that. It didn’t occur to me about the story not being online until after I spent hours writing the post 🤦🏻♀️ but I’ll leave that as scheduled for Friday and then stick to online for a while. You are entirely right that you get more out of seeing it side by side - hopefully. I mean my reading of these stories are entirely subjective of course and I do have a tendency to see what I want / need to see sometimes... but I just love losing myself in these stories and thinking and feeling all the emotions and have wanted to find a way to share that for so long! I will also start collating stories with links online - I think that would be something v useful for me personally as well as hopefully for others too! Thank you again Emily, it means so much to engage in all of this with you!
So thrilled you are doing this Huma. I’ve loved Alice Munro for years and read lots of her stories. Whenever I’m stuck for something to read I always return to her. Axis is such a wonderful story and I really enjoyed reading your perceptive and thought provoking comments as well as those from your other contributors. The part of the story which stays with me is where Royce sees the escarpment and decides his future is in geology and it is that which he remembers in the future rather than the drama with Gracie.(then again I think - how could he forget such an excruciating incident - has he just blocked it out of his memory - and isn’t Royce such an unpleasant character?). I think the story suggests how our knowledge of other people’s lives is so partial. How lives overlap in different ways and with different significance. I think maybe an Axis is where Royce sees Avie from the bus and is tempted to go to her - if he had done so, all their lives would have been different. Also I wonder about Gracie - she could have gone on to have a rich exciting life, the incident with Royce could have forced her to leave home....we just don’t know. And how like life that is!
Also I love how Alice Munroe’s stories often leap forward into the future often making a past event which she has covered in detail seem so insignificant.
So lovely to read this comment, thank you Catherine - and thank you for adding your thoughts. Royce is unpleasant, and I wonder if one of the lessons on life in this is perception, how something that can feel so life-changing for one person (Grace) can be so insignificant for another. What happened with Grace is easily forgotten for him, replaced by something bigger, something that means more to him (the geology). What I find so fascinating about Alice Munro stories is that they seem magically fluid, the meaning is never fixed. That is how it feels to me. And thank you - I have to say, I felt a little silly starting this as a Substack, I mean it is nothing if not curiously niche, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while. I hope you do enjoy the next one x
I really appreciated reading your thoughts on this one. I hadn’t read Axis before but stopped to read it before coming back to your letter and it is such an Alice Munro story! Excruciating most definitely but Grace’s resignation - or something akin to that- has stuck with me too. In some ways I love that we’re left to wonder where her life went but I also wish I knew what happened with her. With that said, the unanswered questions are so often what make a short story stick. As for Royce, it was quite clear the kind of man he was but to watch it play out was still so infuriating...
Ah thank you for reading so closely, Tasnim! It is so desolate in many ways. And you are right - there is also a magic in not knowing, it also feels very true to life not to know the answers (although I wonder whether an editor would let one get away with this these days... in my experience, there is often a push to resolution or explanation at the very least. Which is not necessarily a bad thing either, but I do wonder how far a story with loose ends could go now.). I wonder, what did you make of the ending? What do you think the 'Axis' of the title is?
Wow, Huma - I loved this. So often I read short stories and wish that I could have an in depth discussion about them, so this was just gorgeous. I hadn't read the story before, but spent some time with it before returning your notes (and I already feel as though I'd like to read it again now I've taken in your thoughts).
I'm drawn to the dream. Is there a parallel with what happens to Grace do you think? Isn't she, in terms of what we end up being told about her (i.e. almost nothing) effectively shut in the basement? Discarded certainly fits - to Royce she is disposable.
That last line: 'A woman'. That after all this time, Royce remembered seeing Avie in the road - and in fact, barely recalled that he had been going to visit Grace - she lingered in his head, but in the end she was just like all the rest: emotional, preoccupied with feelings, maybe even nosy - was it a disappointment to him to realise she was merely human, rather than the idea he had of her when he saw her from the bus of being carefree, vivid, prettier than he'd ever seen her. Isn't that so often the case with men like this, they prefer the idea of a woman rather than the reality of her?
I'm rambling now, and always worry of course that I've completely misunderstood the whole thing, but my goodness I love the concept of this Substack!
PS Friday's story is actually not one online - it's in the collection Friend of My Youth, and I don't know whether that's something I need to consider; should I just do the stories that are available online? I'd welcome your thoughts x
Oh, Emily thank you for taking the time to read this, read the story, and then come back here! So much to talk about indeed... The dream: yes, I do think there's some kind of parallel with Grace, and it's what she ends up remembering when she writes the letter to Avie too. Like - she has become the same story that always scared her. And the last line - yes, when I read it, it's definitely in Royce's tone, like there's something so disparaging and disappointing about 'women' - I sensed it in relation to his disappointment with Avie more than Grace. And please, god no, I don't think there is any right way to read or understand - so you've definitely not misunderstood anything at all - and I'm just really thrilled that you love the concept of what I'm trying to do here - after sitting here, thinking - what am I trying to do?! You've just reminded me. Thank you x
Yes, definitely agree he was more disappointed with Avie. At this point it felt as though Grace was a dim and distant memory to him, although we might imagine that for her his visit was the point at which her entire life changed (an axis! of course!). I suppose, as you said, the trip was poignant for him too but because he found his passion in life, not because he caused so much trouble at home for Grace. So many layers when we think about things that happen in our lives... what a moment meant to me can be so different to what the same moment might have meant to someone else.
In terms of access to the stories, of course online makes it easier - it was lovely to be able to go and read this story immediately and come back for your thoughts. I felt like I gained a lot more that way. I wonder whether for your first few posts you look at stories that are available to read online and then - when people are sold on the idea of this being a very generous and useful endeavour, and they will be - you begin to weave in stories that aren't necessarily available online but give people advanced warning so they might be able to source a copy? Library, second hand bookshop, etc. Especially if you end up looking at a few from one collection. I am never averse to inviting a new book onto my shelves, but I do think being able to read the story alongside your notes is so worthwhile. But! It is your platform! However you proceed will be the right way.
I can't wait for more, Huma x
His trip to Grace = her axis! OF COURSE!!
And you are so right - I wish I had thought of that. It didn’t occur to me about the story not being online until after I spent hours writing the post 🤦🏻♀️ but I’ll leave that as scheduled for Friday and then stick to online for a while. You are entirely right that you get more out of seeing it side by side - hopefully. I mean my reading of these stories are entirely subjective of course and I do have a tendency to see what I want / need to see sometimes... but I just love losing myself in these stories and thinking and feeling all the emotions and have wanted to find a way to share that for so long! I will also start collating stories with links online - I think that would be something v useful for me personally as well as hopefully for others too! Thank you again Emily, it means so much to engage in all of this with you!
So thrilled you are doing this Huma. I’ve loved Alice Munro for years and read lots of her stories. Whenever I’m stuck for something to read I always return to her. Axis is such a wonderful story and I really enjoyed reading your perceptive and thought provoking comments as well as those from your other contributors. The part of the story which stays with me is where Royce sees the escarpment and decides his future is in geology and it is that which he remembers in the future rather than the drama with Gracie.(then again I think - how could he forget such an excruciating incident - has he just blocked it out of his memory - and isn’t Royce such an unpleasant character?). I think the story suggests how our knowledge of other people’s lives is so partial. How lives overlap in different ways and with different significance. I think maybe an Axis is where Royce sees Avie from the bus and is tempted to go to her - if he had done so, all their lives would have been different. Also I wonder about Gracie - she could have gone on to have a rich exciting life, the incident with Royce could have forced her to leave home....we just don’t know. And how like life that is!
Also I love how Alice Munroe’s stories often leap forward into the future often making a past event which she has covered in detail seem so insignificant.
Am so excited to read the next one with you!
So lovely to read this comment, thank you Catherine - and thank you for adding your thoughts. Royce is unpleasant, and I wonder if one of the lessons on life in this is perception, how something that can feel so life-changing for one person (Grace) can be so insignificant for another. What happened with Grace is easily forgotten for him, replaced by something bigger, something that means more to him (the geology). What I find so fascinating about Alice Munro stories is that they seem magically fluid, the meaning is never fixed. That is how it feels to me. And thank you - I have to say, I felt a little silly starting this as a Substack, I mean it is nothing if not curiously niche, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while. I hope you do enjoy the next one x
I really appreciated reading your thoughts on this one. I hadn’t read Axis before but stopped to read it before coming back to your letter and it is such an Alice Munro story! Excruciating most definitely but Grace’s resignation - or something akin to that- has stuck with me too. In some ways I love that we’re left to wonder where her life went but I also wish I knew what happened with her. With that said, the unanswered questions are so often what make a short story stick. As for Royce, it was quite clear the kind of man he was but to watch it play out was still so infuriating...
Ah thank you for reading so closely, Tasnim! It is so desolate in many ways. And you are right - there is also a magic in not knowing, it also feels very true to life not to know the answers (although I wonder whether an editor would let one get away with this these days... in my experience, there is often a push to resolution or explanation at the very least. Which is not necessarily a bad thing either, but I do wonder how far a story with loose ends could go now.). I wonder, what did you make of the ending? What do you think the 'Axis' of the title is?