WINGHAM – A shocking family secret revealed by Nobel laureate Alice Munro’s daughter has stunned her hometown in Huron County, which inspired many of her short stories. Andrea Robin Skinner, one of Munro’s daughters, wrote in a Toronto Star column that she was sexually abused by her stepfather, Gerald Fremlin, during visits to her mother in Clinton, starting when she was nine years old in 1976. The abuse continued until she was a teenager.

Munro, who learned of the abuse, remained married to Fremlin, who was convicted in 2005 of indecent assault at the age of 80. Despite the conviction, Munro sided with Fremlin over her daughter, leading to Skinner's estrangement from her mother.

“I was shocked when I heard the news,” said Verna Steffler, a friend of Munro for 30 years and the spearhead behind the creation of Munro’s Literary Garden in Wingham. “You never know what goes on behind closed doors. I feel really bad about what happened to her daughter. She (Munro) should have supported her.”

Munro remained married to Fremlin until his death in 2013 and died herself in May at the age of 92. Munro’s legacy is honored in Huron County through various tributes, including a reading garden in Wingham and a monument in Clinton.

Steffler, who had never met Skinner, expressed sympathy for Munro, suggesting she might have stayed with Fremlin for financial stability as she didn’t drive and lived in his house. Munro’s significant financial success only came after winning the Nobel Prize in 2013.

In Clinton, where the abuse took place, Fremlin was well known. Retired insurer Marj Dobson, who interacted with him a few times through her job, expressed shock over the crimes against Skinner.

Skinner writes that the abuse remained an open secret in the Munro family, leading to her estrangement from her mother. Despite the revelations, there was still support for Munro in her hometown. Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn stated he would consider amending the Clinton monument if there was public demand, though he was not personally in favor of such a move.

When asked if she was disappointed in her old friend, Steffler replied, “not really,” and added, “They’re both dead. I don’t appreciate the fact that we’re digging all the dirt.”