All Fours is brilliant. Miranda July’s writing is funny and consuming, and her protagonist is unforgettable. I wasn’t familiar with her work before this, but I’ll seek out more.

Don’t pay attention to the people ‘grossed out’ by this book — it tells you more about them than about the book. It details masturbation and sex, often not straight, sometimes a bit weird, in one instance very weird. But it serves the story, nothing is gratuitous or exploitive, and real life is often very weird!

To me, this was about prioritizing yourself – not at the expense of those who love and rely on you, but in a way that allows you to feel interesting, valid and present. Rejecting the whole concept of going through the motions. Figuring out what makes you happy and pursuing it on your terms.

I finished this book after coming home from the Trans March at Toronto Pride with my non-binary teenager. My kid’s childhood was quite difficult due to a rare and (now thankfully long-gone) autoimmune disorder. Miranda July(‘s protagonist) and I have a fair few things in common.

It was surprising to me, a cis, straight white guy, how relatable this book was. I had been prepared for something way outside my comfort zone, but that was not at all the case. Of course there were large parts of the narrator’s life that were unfamiliar to me, but probably less than in an average Lee Child novel.

Our narrator makes strange choices. She does things that had me cringing, almost covering my eyes in anticipation of the consequences. But that’s real life, too. It’s messy, confusing, bonkers and nonsensical.

It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve finished the book, and I’ve thought about it probably every day since. I can’t recommend it enough.

---