Expand your brain: read Miranda July

From filmmaker, musician and artist Miranda July comes “No One Belongs Here More Than You,” a compilation of short stories, many of which were originally published individually in literary journals and magazines such as The New Yorker and The Paris Review.

While vastly different, all the stories focus on a different aspect of human connection. They revolve around shared patios and shared beds, kisses between friends and lovers, secret meetings and secret hugs, and dozens more quirky ways humans figure out how to connect. In the book, there are 16 stories and 16 different chances for the reader to resonate with July’s beautiful and brilliant mind.

Many of the stories are painful to read, not only for their sometimes-graphic details but also for their poignant honesty. July transports the reader deep into each protagonist’s complex psychology enough for us to understand, or at least somehow accept, the inexplicable (and often weird) things they do.

A lonely girl hosts weekly “swimming” lessons in her apartment for senior citizens in “The Swim Team,” even though the lessons take place inside on the carpet with no pool at all. Another girl joins a peep show after her girlfriend dumps her in “Something That Needs Nothing.” In a strange way, you don’t feel like you can judge her, since you see her pain through her own eyes. Everything makes some sort of sense, since we’re inside their head. Indeed, instead of presenting characters to us, July lets them present themselves through their own reactions and experiences. Somehow we come to understand their individual realities and the events that fit into their lives.

Complicated characters create complex situations, and the book is filled with deeply emotional episodes that come across as deceptively real. Beating loneliness through unexpected friendship in “It Was Romance,” wrestling with identity in “The Birthmark” and believing fantasy to counteract life’s monotony in “The Sister” incorporate every reader who has felt the same way, even though the course of action or the outcomes were different in their own lives.

July has denied that any of the stories are based on her own life, but added that, “…in an emotional sense, they are (all autobiographical).” The same kind of feeling is sure to hold true for July’s audience. Every story is transcendentally metaphoric; the point isn’t in the details. The reader will understand and even relate to what’s going on, even though he or she will likely not identify concretely with the plotlines of the stories.

Some of the stories are a bit long, which somewhat detracts from their emotional effectiveness. After seven or eight pages, July’s point sometimes gets lost in rambling narrative and over-description. The book’s strong suit isn’t in the details, and some of the endings seem forced instead of being allowed to naturally wrap up. Then again, perhaps that’s just July imitating life’s uneven and unplanned conclusions.

As a compilation of short stories, the book is not at all overwhelming, as it can be easily set down and picked up again. The format will also allow readers to pick and choose their favorite and not-so-favorite stories, and take extra time to digest the hard ones. Preferences aside, each story is worth reading, if only to expand your brain a little bit.

Emilie Egger is an English junior and Mustang Daily book columnist.