In a series of stories that are shocking, sexy, charming, and ultimately unforgettable, Miranda July explores the hearts and minds of characters who are desperate for human connection and yet don't know what to do when it actually happens. In the brilliant opening story, "The Shared Patio," a woman longs to share her neighbor's life, but learns that her fantasy of him has no resemblance to reality. In "The Swim Team," a young woman teaches three elderly citizens in a town with no water how to swim. A man who works at a leather factory gets set-up by his co-worker for a date that never arrives in "The Sister." In "Something That Needs Nothing," a young woman's job at a peep show changes her identity in the eyes of her friend, allowing for their relationship to take a different course. In these stories Miranda July shows a remarkable skill for inhabiting the hearts and minds of a varied cast of characters, imbuing them with a tenderness and humanity that is the mark of a great writer.
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"The book took me to places that I thought only existed inside my own head. I fell in love with this book, I really did. My favorite short stories were "The Sister." "Something That Needed Nothing." ...and well nevermind the entire book was my favorite. Even the title is great. Thank you Miranda." — Max (5 out of 5 stars)
"The book took me to places that I thought only existed inside my own head. I fell in love with this book, I really did. My favorite short stories were "The Sister." "Something That Needed Nothing." ...and well nevermind the entire book was my favorite. Even the title is great. Thank you Miranda."
“These stories are swift, aching, almost unbearably intense flares of emotion and lyrical language, sent out into the existential darkness of everyday life. July’s characters are orphans and runaways and misfits, insecure, lost, and lonely, but they do their best to find that last remaining scintilla of strength in each other, and in themselves.”
“Lays bare the sheer weirdness of womanhood: the neuroses that bloom into obsessions, the strange sexual tension between seemingly platonic friends, and the grief of everyday letdowns.”
“Who will Miranda July’s work appeal to? To borrow the name of her lovely first film, Me and You and Everyone We Know.”
“[An] astonishingly good collection of short stories.”
“Whimsical…Extraordinary tales…At the core of each strange, often comic tale lies the basic human need for love and understanding.”
“Miranda July is graced with an unabashed love for the basic humanity of her characters.”
“[July’s] worlds feel real and surreal and separately sad and filled with what one character calls ‘secret joy,’ all at the same time.”
“At once reflective, sexual, funny, and sad. It’s a non sequitur, but not nonsensical…Her writing exudes a (false) simplicity as contagious and dangerous a model in the hands of less capable writers as the works of Raymond Carver…There stories are marked by an imagination that conjures the incredible, renders it mundane (often through sex), and captures an emptiness of modern spirit.”
“July’s quicksilver fiction is always surprising, and it takes pains to remind us that, somehow, we all belong somewhere.”
“Earnest, touching tales of love.”
“July has an unmistakable voice: earnest, funny, and emotionally charged.”
“July’s tales roll out epiphanies so exquisite and bizarre, they’ll change the way you view life.”
“Touching on both the mundane and the provocative…[these stories] are written with July’s frank perspective and an emotional eye for detail.”
“Devastatingly personal…Curiously uplifting.”
" Unusual and quirky and worth it. "
" Quirky, sad, funny, stunning, sparsely worded and beautiful. "
" I don't usually rate things with 1 or 2 stars because I have too much respect for writers in general, but this book is getting one star because it made me sad and angry. How did this book get so many awards? It's all creepy sex and selfish behavior, and none of it seemed to have a point. I am shaking my head angrily at LIFE. "
" re-reading for inspiration. "
" This book of stories includes adventures about a woman who gives swim lessons on her kitchen floor and a spunky dog named Potato. Miranda July takes a step away from film making and performance art to surprise the reader with little nuggets of truly original stories. "
" Some stories were 5-star. Some were 2-star. Overall, I liked the book. With all the hype, I expected to love it. "
" I thought these stories would be right up my alley but, alas, it wasn't meant to be. I just didn't get it. "
" she thinks of things I'd be afraid to. "
" I love picking this up, the stories are so wonderfully random and refreshing. They're nice and quick to read if I only have 20 minutes to sit with a book. "
" One of my favorite books of all time. Given to me by a close friend, I quickly read through all of the beautifully strange stories. It is now my go to book when I am happy, sad, anxious, ecstatic, and everything in between. "
" Excellent, albeit kind of creepy in places, collection of short stories. "
" an absolutely lovely and enjoyable read. "
" This collection is full of bizarre interactions, in which the emotions somehow remain fully relatable--even seem somewhat commonplace--to the reader. "
" Incredibly sexy, weird and real. "
" Very strange, but good. "
" Miranda July makes me v. happy even though her stories are sometimes total downers. Her downtrodden characters are quirky and unexpected and full of heart. I have reread this collection numerous times and still find it as endearing as when I first picked it up 3 years ago. "
" kurzgeschichten sind irgendwie nicht meins. hab die erste geschichte fertig gelesen, sie sehr seltsam und wenig interessant gefunden und das buch dann weggelegt. "
" My appreciation for Miranda July and her stories grows the more I read this book. "
" Really a 2.5. I felt like the quirkiness was just a little too much...difficult to relate to much of anything in this book. It did manage to depress me though, so July's writing is at least somewhat effective... "
" Simply brilliant! Miranda is just incredibly talented. In this book she's able to combine both deep sadness and pure joy in delightful ways. "
" Amazingly arresting short stories, so different from anything I've read before. Really recommended. "
" I love to hate Miranda July. She's so fucking talented. She is a very strong, engaging, and courageous story teller. This book shakes you up for a couple days after you read it. "
" My favorite collection of Short Stories. She is a fierce writer and extremely imaginative. Constantly inspiring me to write better. "
" This book found me in a way that I would not believe if it hadn't happened to me. "
" This is my favorite book of short stories EVER. Just sayin'. "
" I just adore her. Her voice is so light and humorous, yet at times, eloquent and profound. Each story is a character study of alienation and shame that manages to be uplifting somehow, in a way i would only expect from July. Can't wait to see her new film The Future. "
" Quirky, talented, funny. She has created interesting compassionate, fun stories and movies for our time. "
" "We had loved people we really shouldn't have loved and then married other people in order to forget our impossible loves, or we had once called out hello into the cauldron of the world and then run away before anyone could respond." -"It Was Romance," p. 61 "
" There's too much of fiction that finds this world boring/ugly and wants something else. Ms.July one to say "isn't this one beautiful/awkward/strange enough? You might not belive me, but look. Let me show you." "
" Sometimes touching and offbeat, sometimes really annoying. "
Miranda July is the author of No One Belongs Here More Than You, winner of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper’s, and the Paris Review. She wrote, directed, and starred in the film Me and You and Everyone We Know, which won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
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