A Trippy and Younger All Fours

a messy and heartfelt story of young motherhood

Hello supporters! Today’s newsletter brings you a quick fiction pairing because a recent read just won’t leave my brain. Remember, all weekday newsletters are now just for paid subscribers ~ thank you for valuing and supporting my work here ♡

Earlier this spring I wrote about the difference in how the literati feel about the depiction of sex in romance fiction versus literary fiction, as evidenced by the early reviews of a May 2024 release. The book I was referencing in that piece was All Fours by Miranda July and I can’t stop thinking about the story because it’s really thought-provoking, but also because everyone else is talking about it too! It portrays a woman in middle age in a way that not many other works of fiction do, and while I honestly haven’t told any of my close friends or family to go read it right now (I really don’t think they would like it!), I definitely see its value as a work of art and social commentary, and groundbreaking in perimenopause representation (listen to this podcast episode for more perimenopause books!).

When I read another recent release this past weekend, I found myself feeling much the same as I did while reading All Fours ~ really uncomfortable, but also nodding along with the depictions of motherhood and marriage and utterly unable to look away.