All Fours

Content Warning: This novel and review contain references to sexual content.

Miranda July’s novel All Fours was one of the most eagerly awaited books of 2024, as it sparked conversation and debate about the nature of female desire, the challenges of sustaining a long-term partnership (especially while parenting), and the taboos surrounding menopause. Parallels between the narrator’s life and July’s also led to speculation about whether the novel should be considered a work of autofiction. Since the novel features controversial plot points—including infidelity, an open marriage, and a relationship between an older woman and a younger man—it became a popular choice for book clubs and discussion groups. The novel was shortlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction.

The novel’s protagonist is an unnamed contemporary artist in her forties who lives in California with her husband and child. At the start of the novel, she is feeling creatively blocked and sexually unfulfilled, and she decides to drive alone from California to New York. However, after only driving a short distance to the town of Monrovia, she is intrigued after a chance encounter with a young, married man named Davey. The narrator checks into a local motel and begins redecorating a room there while gradually spending more time with Davey. Over the course of several weeks, she and Davey develop an emotionally intense relationship that is inflected with desire. They never have sex, but they are deeply attracted to one another, and the narrator is particularly moved by his dancing.

When she returns to her home and marriage, the narrator is confused and anguished. Eventually, the narrator and her husband agree to pursue separate sexual relationships while continuing to live together and co-parent their child. After a failed relationship with a woman and significant reflection on aging and the experience of menopause, the narrator finally arrives at a sense of peace and begins writing about her experiences. Four years later, when she is in New York City on a book tour, she contacts Davey, and he invites her to watch him dance. She marvels at the beauty of the performance. 

All Fours begins with a provocative choice in which a woman seeks novelty and change, literally putting geographic distance between herself and her longtime partner and their child. It is clear that the narrator loves her child (and is still grappling with the unresolved experience of a traumatic birth), but she also craves other forms of fulfillment. The device of a road trip (a modern adaptation of the older trope of the quest) reflects her need for freedom and agency since she feels stifled by domestic responsibilities and a stagnant relationship. However, July subverts this plot device since the narrator does not get far from home before stopping. During her time at the motel, the narrator also engages in an intensive project of constructing a womb-like haven, which becomes the site of the unfolding intimacy between herself and Davey. What begins as a journey across the American continent becomes an inward journey in which the narrator confronts herself and her desires.

Some readers will likely find the narrator selfish, unsympathetic, and potentially even predatory as she pursues an illicit relationship with a younger man. Davey’s attempts to remain ostensibly faithful to his wife raise questions about what actually constitutes infidelity: Is it true that as long as he and the narrator don’t engage in intercourse, then they have not betrayed their spouses? The novel does depict relatively graphic sexual scenes, and the absence of a traditional sexual relationship between Davey and the narrator leads to scenarios that might be bizarre or off-putting for some readers. The novel also explores sexual fluidity (the narrator enjoys sexual encounters with both women and men) without rationalizing or explaining it. At the same time, the unflinching depiction of a woman’s desire, especially as she approaches menopause, feels raw and authentic: The narrator may be messy and arguably selfish, but she is unrelentingly honest and unabashed. In her quest to understand herself, she also builds community with other women. One of the novel’s strengths is the depiction of emotional intimacy among communities of women: The protagonist repeatedly turns to her female friends for unconditional and non-judgmental support.

The novel is divided into four sections, and the first section (chronicling the narrator’s experiences with Davey in Monrovia) is the most coherent and tightly plotted. Whether or not a reader is sympathetic to the relationship between Davey and the narrator, July undeniably captures the heady experience of infatuation and lust. The second and third sections (set after the narrator leaves Monrovia, as she grapples with the aftermath of her awakening) are more disjointed and likely less relatable, although her attempts to process a sense of loss and explore aging remain engaging. The subplot about a well-known pop star who experienced a traumatic birth akin to the one endured by the narrator feels somewhat disjointed but provides a different context for the narrator’s attempts at self-understanding. The short fourth section, set after a significant time lapse, provides a pleasing although unconventional sense of conclusion to the novel.

Overall, the book is provocative, idiosyncratic, and likely to linger in a reader’s mind long after the ending, as it highlights surprising and unconventional ideas that deserve further exploration.