AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The New York Times bestselling author returns with an irreverently sexy, tender, hilarious and surprising novel about a woman upending her life “A frank novel about a midlife awakening, which is funnier and more boldly human than you ever quite expect….nothing short of riveting.” —Vogue “All Fours has spurred a whisper network of women fantasizing about desire and freedom...It’s the talk of every group text."—The New York Times “All Fours possessed me. I picked it up and neglected my life until the last page, and then I started begging every woman I know to read it as soon as possible.” —The Cut “A novel that presses into that tender bruise about the anxiety of aging, of what it means to have a female body that is aging, and wanting the freedom to live a fuller life…Deeply funny and achingly true.” —LA Times “July’s novel is hot and weird and captivating and one of the most entertaining, deranged, and moving depictions of lust and romantic mania I’ve ever read.” —New York Magazine 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.
Nobody's got a mind like July. Her short story collection saw her take on strange (read: controversial) subject matter - and that received flack, mixed reviews. But this novel-- top of the charts upon release! Maybe that's just novels for you, or maybe it's the moment, or maybe (likely) just better advertising, better agents. Here, she tackles the tried-and-true tale of "getting a divorce and dating a younger man." Nothing revolutionary, plot-wise, on the macro. But she imbues the little details with just wowza-brave specificity. Crazy stuff. From reading up about her and listening to a couple of interviews, I feel like she's got a Lena Dunham similarity (aka "Is this the character speaking? Or is this just you, Lena Dunham"). Very brave, modern, honest. Themes of re-self-actualization, re-definition of the marriage structure, re-awakened desire, post mid-life slump. Also, puts menopause at the forefront of a novel in a sexy way-- rare. Addictively-written.