Of course I had heard of Munro’s Books of Victoria, but I’d never visited the renown book store until last week. Founded in 1963 by Jim Munro, rumour has it that, after reading some of the store’s stock, his first wife, Alice Munro, declared, ” I can write better books than this.” Considering the numerous awards she has garnered, including the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature for her mastery of the contemporary short story, it seems she was right.
As I approached Munro’s, I was shocked to see a Christmas tree being installed above the front door. What were they thinking! I’m accustomed to seeing holiday decorations sprouting up after Halloween, but in September?
As we turned the corner onto Bastion Square, there were wreaths adorning the lamp posts, snowflakes attached to patio railings and a large inflatable snowman beside the entrance to a store.
Then I saw the camera crew. And a festively decorated horse and carriage on Langley Street. What a relief to know this was all for a movie. One of the security guards told us The Bridge is a Hallmark made-for-TV chick flick “with a lot a crying and hugging”. According to one of the producers, the story begins with two university students who meet at Munro’s when they reach for the same book. I’m sure you can imagine the ending.
