You know when you finish reading a book and just have to pause and take it all in – but in the very best way? All Fours by the enigmatic Miranda July made me do exactly that. All Fours is the brilliant story of a 45-year-old woman who questions everything in her life and makes some decisions you won’t see coming to figure out who she is now.
Opening sentence: Sorry to trouble you was how the note began, which is a great opener.
Our (unnamed) narrator is an artist (of unspecified work and medium) with a small level of fame, is married to Harris and has a child, Sam. She has also hit a moment of reflection and crisis in her life, largely due to the peri-menopause. Something that happens to women in their late 40s to varying degrees as a pre-curser to the menopause, but sometimes with just as brutal consequences as the full menopause.
All Fours is actually the second book I’ve recently read where the lead character is navigating peri-menopause – My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes also looks at this topic, although they couldn’t be more different reads. Which actually is a great way to sum up peri-menopause, it’s never the same for two women.
My friends are always obliging me with ephemera like this – screenshots of sexts, emails to their mothers – because I’m forever wanting to know what it feels like to be other people.
A cross-country trip
Our narrator is having a creative block so decides to drive cross-country from LA to New York, where she can meet up with friends. The long drive will give her time to think and reevaluate her life. She hits the road, ends up in a motel 20 mins drive away and basically stays there.
This is for a few reasons but the main one being that she randomly meets a younger man, Davey and he quickly becomes her obsession. Their relationship is very nuanced and it’s not a one way street on her part either. It’s explored in such a tender, exciting and unexpected way, it really has you hooked.
Her thought process is conveyed through her chats with her patient friend, Jordi and her husband, Harrison. While her decision might not make sense to you, she so eloquently describes why she’s doing them, you are 100% along for the ride.
A joy to read
The writing is the hero of All Fours. Miranda July’s phrasing is just so brilliant, emotion laced with humour and poignant insights, such as:
It was really painful for him, whereas for me it was an elaborate Victorian game.
And also this one:
Generally speaking, when pain was involved, there was no reason. No one to hold accountable. No apology. Pain just was; it radiated with no narrative and no end.
Absolutely character rather than plot driven, All Fours was such a fresh, engaging read. A blend of funny, disgusting, erotic, poignant and raw, Miranda July is all about delving into the small cracks of human connection. She writes like no other and I’m so here for it. Loved All Fours!
- Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC;
- Get your copy of All Fours here;
- Published by Canongate 16th May 2024;
- 336 pages;
- Book review rating:
Books on the 7:47 
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