DeepSummary
This episode features an interview with writer and filmmaker Miranda July about her new novel 'All Fours,' which explores love, sex, and reinvention during middle age. July discusses how popular culture often ignores or dismisses the experiences of women after marriage and children, despite the complex and exciting changes happening during this time of life. She conducted interviews with women going through perimenopause and menopause to better understand this transitional period.
July explains that while puberty and young adulthood are heavily romanticized, there is a lack of guidance and positive narratives surrounding middle age and the biological changes of perimenopause. She aimed to reimagine this stage of life through her protagonist's journey of self-discovery, capturing the desire for something new that can emerge amid the hormonal shifts.
The interview touches on themes of embracing the full "body experience" of aging, which includes both desire and loss. July conveys the richness and power in openly discussing the mysteries and transformations of middle age rather than treating them as humiliating or invisible.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Popular culture often neglects or dismisses the experiences of women in middle age after marriage and children.
- Writer Miranda July aimed to reimagine this transitional period and the biological changes of perimenopause through her novel 'All Fours.'
- July conducted interviews and drew from personal experiences to capture the complexities, excitement, and desire for something new that can emerge during this stage of life.
- While puberty is heavily romanticized, there is a lack of positive narratives and guidance surrounding the 'love stories' of hormonal shifts in middle age.
- The novel embraces the full 'body experience' of aging, including both desire and loss, rather than treating this transition as humiliating or shameful.
- July highlights the power in openly discussing the underexplored mysteries and transformations of perimenopause and middle age.
- Her goal was to give voice to the 'whisper network' among friends navigating this rich but often undescribed period.
- The interview urges developing a cultural imagination around the possibilities of reinvention in the decades after youth.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “But meanwhile, among my friends, there was this kind of feverish whisper network about our bodies and our marriages and our desires, and that was complex and exciting. The stakes felt so high, but I knew I wasn't alone. The life going forward might actually be so undescribed that it's kind of a miracle.“ by Miranda July
- “I remember one woman described to me some, like, sad things about aging, and I nervously said, how bad is it? Is it unendurable? And she said, I'm here for the body experience, and part of that is loss. And so I want it all.“ by Miranda July
Entities
Company
Podcast
Person
Book
Episode Information
NPR's Book of the Day
NPR
5/28/24
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy