“All of the hormones that made me want to seem approachable so I could breed are gone and replaced by hormones that are fiercely protective of my autonomy and freedom”

On April 2, 2026 Books on Tap met to discuss the 2024 novel (and National Book Award Finalist) “All Fours” by Miranda July. July is a contemporary performance artist, author, film director and screenwriter among other artistic pursuits. A few of our readers had heard of Miranda July prior to this book selection.

“All Fours” follows an unnamed 45 year old perimenopausal woman who begins a presumed 2 ½ week cross country journey, only to hole up in a motel 30 minutes from her home for the entire time. (The woman is an artist of some renown or celebrity in her professional life.) She redecorates the motel room extravagantly and has an extramarital affair that then turns into a period (and location) of sexual freedom and exploration; a sort of mid-life crisis. Upon returning to her husband and small child, she has difficulty resuming her previous life.

Themes of the book included feminism, intimacy, escapism, perimenopause and change. (If sexually explicit books are not your cup of tea, you would want to steer clear of this book!)

Descriptions of this book by our readers included weird, humorous, entertaining and captivating!

Most of our readers finished the book and it seemed to be a polarizing title.  Readers either liked it or hated it. Generally the men liked it.  Female readers found it a difficult read but some were still favorable. One of our female readers took offense to the book’s ageism and portrayal of post menopausal women. Yet another female reader found the book to be liberating. The publication and awards “All Fours” garnered are a huge boost for feminism. This kind of book was not written 20 years ago.

Some readers found the main character to be unlikable, boring as hell, totally self-absorbed and a poor mother. She was probably a pain in the ass before perimenopause and is just as equally unloveable after. 

Is fiction really fiction or do authors weave in other parts of their life? Our readers found it absolutely likely that there was some autobiographical content here.

The author is the narrator for the audiobook version. The reader also voiced all of the characters that the narrator “interviewed” for their sexual experiences. One of our readers found the audio version dry and deadbeat. 

People participate in book groups in order to be exposed to titles they might not otherwise read, and to hear and discuss viewpoints contrary to their own.  Regardless of the wide array of opinions about this book, “All Fours” made for a lively and opinionated discussion.

Miranda July website and Instagram

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