For a moment in the spring of last year, it seemed — at least in my circle — that all anyone could talk about was Miranda July. Her latest book, All Fours, was released in May 2024 and explored the intersection of creativity, womanhood, marriage, and parenting in a way only July could.
The novel was shortlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. It was a National Book Award Finalist. The book sparked group chats and in-person meetups around the world. During the initial promotion for the book, July sat down with Esther Perel for The Cut, NPR Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, and The New York Times’ "Modern Love." The book itself was performative, fantastical and a little bit insane, but also held a much larger place in modern vernacular when it came to women’s bodies, aging, and identity. She didn’t just create a piece of art — she created a piece of dialogue.
In countless interviews, July has always made a point to note that the book was intentionally set to incite a societal transformation centered around women’s silent performance of perimenopause and menopause. All Fours was a chance for women’s performance to step out of the shadows and throw a spotlight on misogyny, women’s bodies, and aging that rarely gets portrayed in the media.