Author: Miranda July
Year published: 2024
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 336 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5
Location: (my 2025 Google Reading map): USA (CA)
Summary: A semi-famous artist announces her plan to drive cross-country, from LA to NY. Thirty minutes after leaving her husband and child at home, she spontaneously exits the freeway, checks into a nondescript motel, and immerses herself in an entirely different journey.
Review: I have heard so much about this novel that was a finalist for the National Book Award, some good and some not, so I was interested to see what it's all about. And, I just discovered that Miranda July is married to someone I grew up with. We weren't friends, but I for sure knew who he was.
I had heard that this novel had a lot of sexual content, but it wasn't as much as I expected (though if you aren't into that, avoid this book). It's really more about how the main character feels about herself, her body, and sex, though there are sex scenes with herself and partners. And talk of sex.
I had a tough time sympathizing with the narrator, though by the end of the book, I felt better about her. She is obviously going through a midlife crisis, doesn't know who she is or wants to be, or what she wants to do with her life (mostly in the personal realm). I totally understand having a major check-in with yourself mid-life (heck, mine manifested in panic attacks at 40 as I was newly divorced, raising a small child, and working full time), but she walked away from her family for a while. That I do not understand.
But, the time apart led to her and her husband (eventually) coming to a realization that they wanted to be together, but not only with each other. Today, families look all sorts of ways, and this book delves into that ideaw of what makes a family, what connects people, and what do we need/want in life. I guess the best we can hope for is that we don't hurt too many people along the way.
Challenges for which this counts:
- 20 Books of Summer
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