"Too Much Happiness" by Alice Munro

 

"Too Much Happiness" by Alice Munro

I listen to this this multi-storied novel novel as an audio book.  I was astounded by the dramatic opening of the book where readers are introduced to the couple Lloyd and Dori.  When Dori, the wife leaves one day to take a break from her husband, she comes home to find all three of her children killed by Lloyd.  Dori visits him in prison to try and figure out what led him to this madness, but he avoids all topics and Dori is left to talk with him about what's on TV in the prison.  

The story of  Sophia Kovalevsky, who was a late-nineteenth-century Russian émigré and mathematician stands out in my mind.  Here is woman who follows her lover to Paris, Germany, and, Denmark.  Her lover Maksim Maksimovich Kovalevsky sees this girls misfortune and pities her, and that is why he took it upon himself to send this girl oversees and pay for her college.

  This story had a "Lolita" feel to it: Old guy  pays for a young girl's desires, Old guy wants something in return. 

The girl apparently loves all the gifts in the beginning, she loves her chiffon sweaters and wears them to her College, just so that can "feel" what its like to go to a private college.  She has all these initial ideas of what its like to go to college and eat fine dining, but in fact she has no interest in the education whatsoever.  This ignorant girl plays into the Sugar Daddy's hands quite  nicely.  I felt that this guy always wanted something in return from the girl.  And of course control over her.  And it doesn't surprise me when he has someone follow her, just to make sure she's not seeing someone else, and not partying over at the college.  The girl things she wins when she found out she had a female stalker who trailed her in her car, and when she leads this woman off a beaten course, but who really wins with this sort of control?