The youngest daughter of celebrated Canadian author Alice Munro has revealed the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepfather and the profound pain she felt when her mother chose to support her husband over her.
In a personal essay published in the Toronto Star, Andrea Robin Skinner detailed the abuse she endured from Gerald Fremlin, Munro’s second husband, and expressed her distress over Munro’s decision to stay with Fremlin despite knowing about the abuse.
Skinner shared that the abuse began in 1976 when she was nine. Fremlin would climb into her bed and initiate inappropriate contact while Munro was away. The predatory behavior continued until Skinner reached her teenage years.
Despite informing her father and stepbrother about the abuse soon after it happened, they did not immediately tell Munro. Later, when Skinner wrote to her mother detailing the abuse, she received no sympathy. Munro believed the secret was kept to humiliate her and felt personally betrayed, further causing deep emotional pain for Skinner.
Skinner reported the incidents to the police in 2005, and Fremlin eventually pleaded guilty to indecent assault. However, Munro chose to remain with Fremlin until his death in 2013. Munro reportedly stated that she was told too late about the abuse and that her love for Fremlin prevented her from leaving him.
Skinner’s story describes years of suffering from bulimia, insomnia, migraines, and dropping out of an academic program due to the trauma. Although Skinner has reconciled with her siblings, she never made peace with her mother.
Munro’s Books, a bookstore founded by Alice Munro and her first husband in Victoria, expressed support for Andrea Robin Skinner, stating that learning about her experience was heartbreaking. The bookstore, now independently owned, reaffirmed its support for Skinner and her siblings as they strive to end the legacy of silence surrounding such abuses.
For those who have experienced sexual assault, support is available through crisis lines and local services listed by the Ending Violence Association of Canada. In immediate danger, individuals are urged to call 911.