Canada’s book retailer Indigo says it will be removing its photos of late novelist Alice Munro from some of its stores after her daughter spoke out about being sexually abused by her stepfather.
Earlier this month, Munro’s daughter Andrea Skinner published an essay that revealed she was sexually abused by her stepfather and her mother did not support her.
In her story, Skinner recounts a time when her stepfather sexually assaulted her at nine years old and as a result, during her teenage years, she struggled with bulimia, insomnia and migraines. By the age of 25, she said she felt she couldn’t properly start an adult life.
Skinner’s story was released two months after her mother died at the age of 92. Munro has since been criticized for the shocking revelation and for staying with her husband.
On Wednesday, Indigo told Now Toronto that it supports and respects Skinner’s bravery in sharing her deep and painful experiences.
“Alice Munro’s books are not in violation of our assortment policy, and we will continue to carry her books. Images of Alice Munro appear in some of our stores, and we have determined that it is appropriate for us to remove these,” Indigo spokesperson Madison Downey said in an email statement.
According to Indigo’s assortment policy, books will only be removed if it contains instructions on how to build weapons of mass destruction, child pornography or if they incite hatred against any identifiable group.
