No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories [Hardcover]

Miranda July (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2007

In her debut collection of short stories, July introduces the possibility of a moment that can change everything. A child stands in the sidewalk; a woman lies motionless in bed beside her husband; a teacher pauses at the chalkboard; when suddenly the daily drone is disrupted by something completely unexpected. July's characters are awkward and often remote, yet they are also profoundly sympathetic. With great compassion and generosity she reveals the idiosyncrasies, vulnerability, longing, and odd logic that govern our lives. In "No One Belongs Here More Than You July" creates a deliriously hopeful universe where strangers hug and students swim across the kitchen floor. The same energy that captivates her film audiences is transposed into exhilarating new fiction.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's a testament to July's artistry that the narrators of this arresting first collection elicit empathy rather than groans. "Making Love in 2003," for example, follows a young woman's dubious trajectory from being the passive, discarded object of her writing professor's attentions to seducing a 14-year-old boy in the special-needs class she teaches, while another young woman enters the sex industry when her girlfriend abandons her, with a surprising effect on the relationship. July's characters over these 16 stories get into similarly extreme situations in their quests to be loved and accepted, and often resort to their fantasy lives when the real world disappoints (which is often): the self-effacing narrator of "The Shared Patio" concocts a touching romance around her epilectic Korean neighbor; the aging single man of "The Sister" weaves an elaborate fantasy around his factory colleague Victor's teenage sister (who doesn't exist) to seduce someone else. July's single emotional register is familiar from her film Me and You and Everyone We Know, but it's a capacious one: wry, wistful, vulnerable, tough and tender, it fully accommodates moments of bleak human reversals. These stories are as immediate and distressing as confessionals. (May)
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From Bookmarks Magazine

Miranda July's impressive accomplishments include two exhibits at the Whitney Biennial, an award-winning film (Me and You and Everyone We Know), two albums on the record label Kill Rock Stars, and now her praised collection of short stories (encouraged by her literary mentor Rick Moody). The stories, previously published in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Harper's, Tin House, and other literary journals, won July praise as "a strange and compelling new voice" (Seattle Times). Even those who found the collection uneven and the narrative voices of each story eerily similar admire the best ones as "funny and insightful, offering moments of utter heartbreak through deeper, more sophisticated storytelling" (New York Times Book Review).

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743299396
• ISBN-13: 978-0743299398
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #384,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Addictive August 11, 2007

By Gina Pell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are some very private, strangely beautiful moments in these short stories. It's an almost perfect little tome although a writer friend of mine made a very interesting observation. He said that he often felt that Miranda's quirkiness superseded substance as was the case in "The Swimming Lesson." In retrospect I agree with him but I still loved this book and bought copies to give to friends. It's worth a read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars So Twee it's Kind of Painful January 29, 2012

By BraMaster

Format:Paperback

I kind of had a secret crush on Miranda July after watching her delightful film "You and Me and Everyone We Know". After reading this book though, the shine is beginning to wear off.

I enjoyed the first few stories of this book, but was more than ready to move on to something else by the end. Her stories aren't so much stories in the traditional sense, but more like quirky, silly things that come into her mind that's written into a stream of consciousness which then don't really have endings in the traditional sense either. All of this could be fine, but every story is just so precious and kooky there's no ground of normalcy to stand on.

There are times though when she really captures the small things in life. There were some instances where she's describing the small behaviors of couples interactions that really connected with me, as I felt I'd had similar experiences that I'd never seen written out like that. I do love her creativity, as this book is like nothing else that I've read. I just wish there would have been a bit more substance in place of some of her Miranda July-ness.

Also, something that annoyed me was how her dialogue never ends with "so and so said". It's just paragraph after paragraph of characters dialogue, and sometimes I had to go back and figure out which character was saying what. Why does she do that? It's kooky I guess.

All in all, this book is best in small doses. Read a chapter here and there, and you'll probably have some fun. Otherwise, you may overdose on twee.

45 of 61 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars not quite as charming as i'd hoped May 23, 2007

By jqln

Format:Hardcover

I read this because of the feature length film, but where the film was potent and endearing, this was so-so. The quirkiness of the characters and bizarre dialogue is much the same style as Miranda's other work, but after a while it becomes insipid. In a filmic medium Miranda uses timing masterfully to create awkwardness, but this quality isn't to be found in her short stories. Granted, I appreciate and admire her ability to rotate mediums, and this book brings you to a closer understanding of her vision, but her writing doesn't necessarily excite me. Despite this, if you love Miranda's other work, you will probably enjoy reading this. If this is your first time encountering Miranda, I suggest first watching "Me and You and Everyone We Know".