Moons of Jupiter (short story) Summary
Alice Munro

Moons of Jupiter (short story) Overview

“The Moons of Jupiter” by Alice Munro was originally published in The New Yorker in 1978. In 1982, it was republished in Munro’s short story collection entitled The Moons of Jupiter. The story follows a divorced, middle-aged writer named Janet as she struggles with the possibility of her father’s imminent death. Her father has a defective heart valve and will soon undergo surgery. Janet regularly visits her father in the hospital and reflects on their relationship. She also grapples with the emotional distance that seems to have accumulated between her and her grown daughters, Nichola and Judith. The story explores themes of family, grief, mortality, love, and personal agency.