you accidentally walk in on someone in the bathroom? Not in a public bathroom, but in a situation where you'll have to look that person in the eye afterward, be in the same room with them ... that feeling. Are you familiar? It's one of the most uncomfortable situations I can conjure. It's the feeling I get reading Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You.
If you walked in on one of July's characters in the bathroom, they would probably rejoin you in the living room completely naked from the waist down. "Here," they'd deadpan with a blank expression. "Take a closer look."
Yep, it's that weird.
But I like a little freaky in my life here and there. I also like the wonderful sense of detachment that accompanies July's descriptions of some of the most intimate thoughts and actions. Detachment and intimacy, not easy bedfellows, but she does it magnificently. And as odd as some of the stories in this collection are, they are masterfully written and I find myself returning again and again to certain sentences, certain images. I don't have the book with me at present, but one of my favorites was a character likening the act of trying to remember a special dream as she went about her day to walking gingerly with full cup of water, trying not to spill. It's much better in the book, but hopefully you can appreciate the idea.
So long live the odd and women bold enough to write and publish it. We're all the better for it.
2 comments:
Perfect description of this book! The one that weirds me out most is the adult nursing story...I forget the name. :) Love the one about the man on the stairs.
I have to read this, I've been meaning to for a long time. I love her work. Thanks for reminding me.
And I hear you on the children's books! It's more or less an obsession with me.
Hope your day-to-day freight train slows down a bit this week. But if not, keep up the good work! You're doing great.
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