On All Fours

by Miranda July

Mid-life crises rarely look as entertaining on the page as they do when written in July’s wry, self-aware and unashamedly candid voice. Her protagonist decides that life at forty-something isn’t messy enough, so she heads off on a solo road trip that quickly mutates into a gloriously chaotic almost affair with a much younger admirer. July builds every erotic scene like a master craftsman—slowly winding up tension until you swear the next word will set your cardigan on fire. But what really snagged me was how July toys with fantasy versus marital reality. You feel the protagonist’s internal seesaw: the heady rush of forbidden desire crashing into obligations she can’t quite abandon. By the last page, you’ll have sped through this pressure cooker of unconsummated passion, marveling at how hilarious—and how honest—a sex story can be.