Hardcover, 336 pages
English language
Published Sept. 6, 2024 by Canongate Books.
The New York Times–bestselling author of The First Bad Man returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious, and surprising novel about a woman upending her life
A semifamous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to New York. Twenty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of 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 …
The New York Times–bestselling author of The First Bad Man returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious, and surprising novel about a woman upending her life
A semifamous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to New York. Twenty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, beds down in a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in a temporary reinvention that turns out to be the start of 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.
I devoured this, partly because I loved it and partly because I couldn't stop thinking about it. it kind of fucked me up for a bit, honestly. I want more books about periomenopause, and also women writing about aging and desireability, choosing a life
Content warning mild spoilers about theme, not plot; curse words
Until now, I have stayed away from Miranda July's work because of her public persona. I didn't think her art would be for me, produced by this twee, quirky LA artiste.
But boy has All Fours proved me wrong. Maybe it's because I am a woman in a similar stage of life as Miranda's protagonist, who lived through or is about to live through some of the things she describes.
Without providing too many spoilers, this is a book about Gen X and Millenial women who are starting to deal with the implications of perimenopause on their bodies, and in turn, their identities as sexual beings.
To put it bluntly, we don't look old (thanks to sunscreens and a regular pilates practice) younger people still find us fuckable, but our hormones are waiting to betray our libido at every turn.
