All Fours
All Fours ~ Miranda July
In All Fours, Miranda July’s unnamed peri-menopausal protagonist decides that she will take a recent windfall and drive across the country alone rather than flying, because she wants to become the kind of person who does such things, and hopes that by changing her basic self, she will be able to recapture the ecstatic love she shared with her husband when their infant child was in the NICU seven years ago. Our protagonist, a semi-famous artist who creates art in several genres, makes her plans and starts out on her trip, but only gets about half an hour away from home before being waylaid by a brief interaction with a handsome young man who cleans her windshield when she stops for gas and to get her tire pressure checked. She checks into a cheap motel and things go awry.
She is consumed by desire for the young man, even while she struggles to drum up any desire for her husband. She talks to her best friend about peri-menopause, and what it means for their future that their estrogen levels are falling rapidly, destroying their libido. Well, you wouldn’t know there was anything going on with her libido. This book is full of sex and masterbation and filthy thoughts. Not for the squeamish, to be sure. There is a weird erotic scene involving urine and a tampon, which somehow reminded me of the time I wandered into an art house cinema on Haight Street in San Francisco when I was about 22, and watched that day’s (extremely weird) film, Sweet Movie.
Aside from the weirdness, infidelity, and graphic sex (and sexual thoughts), I really liked this book a lot. Highly recommended if you are OK with such topics.
6 Comments
Birchie
All Fours rubbed me the wrong way, pun intended. She had me at “cross country road trip” but once the protagonist started getting busy, I started getting bored and skimmed the rest. Maybe there was a profound message that I missed, but all that I absorbed was being a middle aged woman sucks.
J
There was a bit near the end where she discovers that it is NOT all bad, and that there are things about menopause that are freeing, so I was glad for that. I really liked the end of the book most I think.
Pat
I really did not like this book. It wasn’t the content that put me off, more I think mostly I didn’t like Miranda. I read about 75% of the book then realized I didn’t care one bit how it ended so bailed and went on to an actual good book.
J
I liked the ending, so I think it’s too bad that you got so far in without that part. However, I am all for bailing on a book that you’re not enjoying!
PocoBrat
I admired the extreme honesty of this book… Especially the part where she discloses that she kind of meandered into art because of professor-parents, isn’t particularly talented, was pursued by the rock star, not because of her talent, wasn’t even “stalked,” etc.
She’s such a sad, insecure, messy person–you kind of feel bad for her? Like, she can’t even enjoy regular stuff like food or sex, and she thinks of her husband as an adversary instead of a partner. I was relieved she could make things work out in her own way.
J
I totally felt sorry for her, and honestly the people in her life as well. I was glad that she seemed to find the self she was looking for nearer the end.