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A review by status_woe
All Fours by Miranda July
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Where to begin. This book is well-paced and engaging. I enjoyed the author's voice, and despite the protagonist being monunentally self-involved and unlikeable, her internal monologue was often relatable - an off beat, bleakly funny analysis of people and situations that I enjoyed. Quite the achievement, because if the main character was your friend, you'd definitely ignore her tedious phone calls.
While the the mid-life crisis and the concept of running away is well worn in literature, a woman accidentally leaving her life and redecorating the hotel room she's staying in was delightfully quirky and unique. I loved the descriptions of the room decor and can still visualise the green bathroom tiles. The portrayal of all-consuning chemistry and infatuation is also excellent.
A lot of the book, although very well written, felt a bit too self conscious, like it was written by a terminally-online teenager and not a middle-aged woman. The forced inclusion of mentions of transgender and nonbinary characters, the protagonist's "I'm married to a man but still queer!" thing, the nonsense idea of genderless small child, references to kink and the protagonists occasionally dubious sexual fantasies, the "aren't I progressive?" polygamy that was entirely a consequence of the main character's decision to marry someone she was incapable of communicating with - It didn't always feel authentic, although I ultimately enjoyed unflinching approach to female same-sex attraction and sexuality. I also felt that in spite of the author's attempts to appear feminist, there were some moments of real misogyny in the way she writes about older women. I appreciate this is an exploration of fears around getting older and menopause, but it honestly felt a bit gross and it wasn't resolved by the "maybe menopause isn't so bad after all!" elements that came later. If there had been similar moments of transphobia, for example, I doubt it would have passed a sensitivity reader, but it seems that, as always women are fair game.
Overall, this is a well written and unique book. If you're looking for likeable characters behaving in predictable ways or a neat resolution, you won't get them here, but it's testament to the quality of the writing that in spite of my criticisms, I made it to the end of this book quickly and with a lot to think about.
While the the mid-life crisis and the concept of running away is well worn in literature, a woman accidentally leaving her life and redecorating the hotel room she's staying in was delightfully quirky and unique. I loved the descriptions of the room decor and can still visualise the green bathroom tiles. The portrayal of all-consuning chemistry and infatuation is also excellent.
A lot of the book, although very well written, felt a bit too self conscious, like it was written by a terminally-online teenager and not a middle-aged woman. The forced inclusion of mentions of transgender and nonbinary characters, the protagonist's "I'm married to a man but still queer!" thing, the nonsense idea of genderless small child, references to kink and the protagonists occasionally dubious sexual fantasies, the "aren't I progressive?" polygamy that was entirely a consequence of the main character's decision to marry someone she was incapable of communicating with - It didn't always feel authentic, although I ultimately enjoyed unflinching approach to female same-sex attraction and sexuality. I also felt that in spite of the author's attempts to appear feminist, there were some moments of real misogyny in the way she writes about older women. I appreciate this is an exploration of fears around getting older and menopause, but it honestly felt a bit gross and it wasn't resolved by the "maybe menopause isn't so bad after all!" elements that came later. If there had been similar moments of transphobia, for example, I doubt it would have passed a sensitivity reader, but it seems that, as always women are fair game.
Overall, this is a well written and unique book. If you're looking for likeable characters behaving in predictable ways or a neat resolution, you won't get them here, but it's testament to the quality of the writing that in spite of my criticisms, I made it to the end of this book quickly and with a lot to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Incest