Miranda July is required reading for anyone seeking naked truths in fiction (Can menopause be fun and sexy? Yes, according to Miranda July, 12 August). Her short stories in No One Belongs Here More Than You helped me to reflect empathically on my mental health in ways that years of therapy had not. July is not afraid to get to the bare bones of what makes humans tick.
I have just finished her novel All Fours. It has further opened my eyes to societal shame and furtiveness, the secret lives that women lead, not just with menopause but with their whole reproductive lives. The tampon scene (no spoilers here) has to be read to be believed. But in its shockingness it untangles so much about how men and women live side by side, seemingly sharing life and experiences, but this book exposes how we do so as parallels that never quite meet.
It shows how multifaceted and complicated we all are. How we keep different sides of ourselves for different relationships and how important this is, but also how this can leave us feeling hidden or inadequate among certain people.
It encourages us to allow ourselves to discover who we really are and not feel exposed or shamed as we do it, a message that crosses gender boundaries. I would read July’s shopping list, let alone her thoughts on the microbiome.
Matt McCabe
Sheffield
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