Miranda July's debut collection of short stories features hypersensitive characters navigating the mundane and often humiliating aspects of modern life. The stories are written in a confessional, deadpan style that blends humor and pathos, exploring themes of loneliness, failed connections, and the darker side of romantic fantasies.
Miranda July's first book of short stories, _Nobody belongs here more than you_, introduces readers to a cast of characters who are hypersensitive to the world around them. These characters, often ill at ease in their own skin, are deeply sympathetic despite their awkward and sometimes humiliating encounters. July's stories are set in the nondescript workplaces, mediocre apartments, and shallow friendships of America's 20- and 30-somethings. Her protagonists desperately search for meaningful relationships, whether in self-help groups or Internet chat rooms, but often find themselves merely sharing the same space rather than truly connecting. The rare moments of genuine connection become the highlights of their otherwise ordinary routines. One character, who runs a dry swim class in her pool-less apartment, confesses that the two hours a week spent on this activity are the zenith of her week, with all other hours in support of it. July's writing style, modest and confessional, has been criticized for its coy tone, but it shares similarities with the deadpan humor of Woody Allen and Larry David. Her characters often suffer from the belief that life should be more glamorous, a symptom of celebrity magazine culture. In 'This Person,' a woman discovers her life has been a rehearsal for a test, while another character realizes her 'starter friends' are her only friends. The stories take a darker turn when exploring love and relationships. Characters often act on their most private and embarrassing fantasies, leading to disturbing or shameful sexual encounters. These situations, though extreme, seem like the best possible outcomes for her characters, stripping away romantic delusions to reveal the harsh reality beneath. July's characters are barely managing to pull themselves from the brink of their ordinary lives, constantly telling themselves they could have done better but settling for what they have.
Quick quotes
The rare incidences when they stumble into each other become the zenith of their ordinary routines.
July’s milieux are the nondescript workplaces, mediocre apartments, shallow friendships and provisional families of America’s 20- and 30-somethings.
Instead of seeming extreme, these situations seem like the best possible outcomes for their characters; if you strip away our romantic delusions and fantasies, this is what’s left.