I didn't think I'd like Alice Munro as much as I do but this is the second book of hers I've read and I think I'm very into it.
Wow. This was a pleasant, curious, melancholic, nostalgic, and profoundly sad read. Strange elements came up in banal ways - a few cults, some ESP, lots of alcoholism and domestic violence, and recurring coincidences reeking of "what ifs", mistaken identities, and goat thrown in for good measure. I really enjoyed the musings on the theme of runaway (noun? Verb? Person? Opportunity?) along with beautiful portraits of people making difficult choices or being stuck in impossible situations. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys short stories that loosely connect and character driven fiction.