A review by breanneporter
All Fours by Miranda July

adventurous funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is unhinged in my favorite kind of way. It puts you inside the mind of a semi-famous 45-year-old woman as she embarks on a cross country road trip with the aim to “transform herself” and ends up making mostly batshit decisions as she confronts her impending menopause. I truly had no idea at any point where this would go next. 

I know this one isn’t for everyone and I was certainly unsure about it at first but boy did it end up hooking me. Miranda July narrates the audiobook herself and is excellent, what a great voice and she really embodied the role, made her feel real. I could not have found the protagonist less relatable personally but she was still such a well formed and believable character and it was so fun to be inside her (horny, slightly deranged) mind for a while. I also loved the protagonist’s relationship with her best friend (though it felt very one-sided for sure) and with her child as well, and I also loved how  so many of the characters are queer. 

Overall I’m not sure if I can recommend this one because I feel like it’s probably quite divisive (not for those who don’t like unlikeable narrators), but I’m so glad I read it. And now I’m looking forward to reading The First Bad Man next (which I tried but wasn’t quite ready to read a few years ago). Thank you Miranda July for your intense and bizarre brilliance!!
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