S. F. Prescott

The most surprising book I’ve read this year!

Miranda July is a filmmaker, artist, and writer. Her books include It Chooses You, The First Bad Man, and No One Belongs Here More Than You (winner of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award). July’s fiction has been published in twenty-three countries and has appeared in The Paris Review, Harper’s, and The New Yorker. Her newest novel, All Fours, was published May 14 2024 by Riverhead Books. It is a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction. Raised in Berkeley, California, July lives in Los Angeles.

All Fours is the first book of Miranda July’s that I’ve read, but now I’m working backwards to check out everything else she’s written. This book has a VOICE and I couldn’t put it down. The premise initially pulled me in, but once the narrator turned off the freeway and into that motel, I had no idea which direction the story would take. There were so many parts of the book that resonated about the complexities of being a woman, and other parts that felt alien (to me, at least) but were inspiring. As a woman turning 40 this year, there were some details that terrified me, including the declining hormone graph related to perimenopause which gave me nightmares.

This is easily one of the most quotable books I’ve read this year, and so many of the scenes still flash back vividly, having shocked or surprised me. The protagonist pulled me through a spectrum of emotions, and it was incredible how July’s sense of humor shone through despite some very serious and occasionally sad themes. It felt like riding an emotional rollercoaster with no end in sight. At times I really sympathized with the narrator, at others, I loathed her and what she was doing to her family. Ultimately, I really enjoyed the story, originality of the protagonist, and the ending which left me with some hope for the characters.

For readers who enjoy unconventional female protagonists, stories about transformation, and unusual circumstances.

Synopsis:

A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, checks into a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in an entirely different journey.

Miranda July’s second novel confirms the brilliance of her unique approach to fiction. With July’s wry voice, perfect comic timing, unabashed curiosity about human intimacy, and palpable delight in pushing boundaries, All Fours tells the story of one woman’s quest for a new kind of freedom. Part absurd entertainment, part tender reinvention of the sexual, romantic, and domestic life of a forty-five-year-old female artist, All Fours transcends expectation while excavating our beliefs about life lived as a woman. Once again, July hijacks the familiar and turns it into something new and thrillingly, profoundly alive.