Alice Munro the Canadian short story writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Man Booker as well as countless other plaudits has had her reputation tarnished. She died this May and one of her daughters has come forward to say she was sexually assaulted by her stepfather Gerald Fremlin starting when she was 9 years old. After Munro learned of the abuse from her daughter 16 years later, she reacted without sympathy and chose to stay with Fremlin, saying she loved him too much to leave; they remained married until he died in 2013.
Munro, born 10 July 1931 9pm Wingham, Ontario, was one of the resilient, tough-minded Depression generation with a Sun Pluto in Cancer opposition Saturn square Uranus in Aries. Her Pluto was also in a confident conjunction to Jupiter. Her Moon in steady, possessive Taurus was exactly conjunct Chiron trine Saturn and trine an 8th house Mars in Virgo, forming an Earth Grand Trine, focused into a Kite by Saturn opposition Sun Pluto – influential, controlling, utterly determined. A Chiron Moon conjunction points to defective early mothering in her own upbringing. Her Venus in Cancer falls ironically in her 5th house of children and is sparsely aspected with only a sextile to Neptune.
Fremlin, her second husband, 15 July 1924 Clinton, BC, Canada, was not unlike her with his Sun and Pluto in Cancer, and his Venus conjunct hers in Cancer, falling in her 5th house of children. His Moon was in earthy Capricorn perhaps square his Saturn and opposition his Pluto so he had a bleak upbringing himself. His Jupiter fell in her 10th so she would feel he was helpful in advancing her reputation – and maybe contributed to a sense that keeping up appearances was paramount. His Neptune fell in her 7th square her Moon, perhaps giving her an unrealistic, over-idealised view of him and his commitment (or lack thereof.)
Their relationship chart is instructive with three main strands.
One is a possessive composite Sun Pluto (trine Moon) hinting at a tight bond which would be difficult to split. An adventurous Jupiter opposition Uranus square Venus pointing to a fun-loving element. And most significant of all is a composite Saturn Mars conjunction which hints at a masochistic streak in their togetherness. There would be unkindness or even cruelty welded into bond.
Neither she nor Fremlin look easy personalities. There is no birth date for the daughter except for 1966. Family secrets!! Decades before they spill out, if at all.
ADD ON: Andrea was born according to her sister’s biography on 8 September 1966 in Victoria, BC, Canada which makes her a Virgo Sun conjunct Mercury, Pluto and Uranus so born into the tumultuous mid sixties – with her Gemini Moon perhaps square Saturn as well as Uranus Pluto which would make sense of a fractured maternal bond. She also has a Water Grand Trine of Jupiter in Cancer trine Neptune South Node in Scorpio trine Saturn in Pisces.
Her Taurus North Node opposition Neptune was triggered when the abuse started at nine years old with her Solar Arc Mars squaring it. And her mother Alice Munro’s ‘defective mothering’ Moon Chiron in Taurus falls close to Andrea’s North Node and opposition her Neptune. And Gerald Fremlin’s Neptune is also square her Node and Neptune – a smokescreen of deception and evasiveness that it became Andrea lifelong journey to clear up.
The relationship charts are both truly horrible though if anything with her mother is worse. That one has a controlling Sun Pluto Mercury Mars conjunction opposition Saturn – and that is cruel. With her stepfather there is a ruthless, controlling and terrifying composite Sun Pluto Mercury square Mars.
Yuk, poor kid.