Our Take

Miranda July has always been unafraid to excavate the uncomfortable truths of human experience, and All Fours represents her most daring and accomplished work yet. The novel's genius lies in its refusal to pathologize or romanticize its protagonist's choices, instead presenting them as natural, if unexpected, responses to the pressures of contemporary womanhood. July's prose combines the psychological acuity of My Education by Susan Choi with the domestic surrealism of Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill, creating something entirely her own. The book's exploration of perimenopause, creative drought, and marital ennui feels groundbreaking in its specificity and honesty—these are conversations rarely had in literary fiction with such candor and complexity. July's background in performance art brings a theatrical quality to the narrative that makes even mundane moments feel charged with meaning. Her ability to find humor in situations that could easily become tragic or pathetic is remarkable, creating a reading experience that's both deeply uncomfortable and surprisingly joyful. This is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary fiction that pushes boundaries, challenges conventions, and refuses to provide easy answers about love, desire, and the choices women make when nobody's watching.