All Fours by Miranda July Reading Guide + Book Club Questions

all fours miranda july book discussion guide

In All Fours, set in Los Angeles and Monrovia, California, a 45-year-old artist narrates her story. Living a quiet life with her husband and child, her world shifts when she receives money and decides to take a road trip. However, she ends up staying nearby in a Monrovia hotel, where she forms an emotional connection with a man.

Struggling to settle back into her old life, she eventually returns to Monrovia and has a new intimate experience with a woman. This journey of self-discovery leads her and her husband to open up their marriage.

The novel dives into themes of freedom, self-exploration, and art. July’s other works include the short story collection No One Belongs Here More Than You.

Plot Summary

In All Fours, the narrator’s life in Los Angeles becomes a controlled routine, and despite her love for her family, she feels creatively and emotionally stifled. When a $20,000 windfall arrives, she plans an ambitious cross-country escape to New York, hoping the journey will reignite her creative spark and independence.

But thirty minutes into her drive, she stops in Monrovia and meets Davey Boutrous, a young, charismatic man, sparking an unexpected attraction. Instead of continuing her journey, she turns back and checks into a local motel, prolonging her stay and hiring Davey’s wife, Claire, to redecorate her room, while deepening her connection with Davey himself.

Their relationship grows as they share intimate moments, though Davey resists a physical affair. Their connection fills the narrator with a sense of freedom and desire she hasn’t felt in years. When her stay ends, she’s heartbroken, especially when Davey suggests they cut ties.

Back in LA, she struggles with her old routine and the revelation of perimenopause, which reignites her yearning for Davey. In an attempt to connect, she posts a choreographed dance on social media, only to learn Davey has moved away. This disappointment leads her to seek solace in an unexpected affair with his former lover, Audra.

As time passes, her marriage with Harris changes; they agree to open their relationship, leading each to new romances. While the narrator finds joy and freedom in dating a woman named Kris, the relationship ends painfully. In an emotional low, she connects with Arkanda, a pop star who also experienced trauma around childbirth. They meet at the Excelsior, sharing their experiences in a moment of mutual healing.

Years later, with a newly published book, the narrator is on a tour stop in New York when she reconnects with Davey, now a successful dancer. Watching his performance, she’s struck by the intensity and admiration he inspires, realizing she was only one part of his expansive world. As the show ends, she feels a renewed sense of peace, thankful for the journey that brought her here, transformed and grateful.

Book Club Questions for All Fours

What did you feel while reading All Fours? Did you connect with the narrator’s journey, or did her choices feel distant?
July’s work often mixes fiction with personal truths. In what ways do you think she uses the novel to share parts of herself? Do her books and films feel like they connect, building a bigger picture of her life as an artist?
How does All Fours make you feel about modern marriage? Do you think it paints a hopeful or challenging view of relationships? Can the narrator and Harris really find balance?
Think back to a time of big change in your life. What sparked it, and who did you turn to for advice or comfort during that time?
The narrator talks about wanting “a life that is continually surprising” rather than “a life spent longing.” Do you think a life full of surprise sounds exciting or exhausting? Do you think it’s possible to have both surprise and steady relationships?
Have you ever taken a little break close to home instead of a big vacation? What did that break do for you, and how did it help you step outside your daily routine?
How does the book explore the balance between being an artist and a mother? What kinds of conflicts or moments of connection arise between these parts of her life?
What kind of picture of marriage does the novel paint? How do the narrator and Harris try to make space for each other’s independence, and where do they struggle?
How does the story explore modern ideas about gender and identity? How do the narrator’s choices and self-image shift based on her roles as a wife, mother, and woman?
The narrator’s planned road trip takes a turn when she ends up in Monrovia. How does this place become unexpectedly important in her journey? How does it feel both ordinary and extraordinary?
Who acts as a guide or a mirror for the narrator, helping her to see herself? Who challenges her and makes her question things? Do any of these roles change as the story goes on?
Dance appears in different parts of the story. What does dance mean for the narrator and for Davey? How does it reflect their inner lives?
How does the narrator’s own perspective and voice shape the story? Do we learn more about her through her descriptions and inner thoughts than through her actions?
All Fours almost seems like it will be a classic road trip story, but then the narrator stays close to home. Imagine she had taken the original cross-country trip. How might her journey of self-discovery have been different?
Create a playlist that captures the narrator’s journey. What songs do you think she’d choose for her road trip, and how would those songs guide her through her emotional ups and downs? Share what some of these songs might reveal about her journey.

Characters

The Narrator

The narrator, a 45-year-old artist and writer from Los Angeles, tells her story through her own first-person perspective, making the novel’s events and conflicts deeply personal. Living with her husband, Harris, and their child, Sam, she feels her artistic life and private identity are restricted by marriage and family. While she maintains a close friendship with her best friend Jordi, she finds her marriage stifling, admitting she’s never fully shared her true self with Harris. Her planned cross-country trip to New York shifts when she instead spends two weeks at a Monrovia motel, where she begins a platonic romance with a younger man, Davey, and feels more connected to her authentic self. Relationships with Davey, Audra, and Kris encourage her to open her marriage and confront her creative and personal boundaries. In a transformative meeting with a pop star named Arkanda, who shares her trauma around childbirth, she rediscovers her passion for her art, taking new ownership of her life, her body, and her artistic voice.

Davey Boutrous

Davey Boutrous, a central figure in the narrator’s journey, is a young, quietly charismatic man she encounters on her first day in Monrovia. Initially, she assumes he’s drawn to her out of boredom with his unremarkable job at Hertz and the repetitive stability of his marriage to Claire. Yet, unbeknownst to her, Davey has orchestrated their meeting, recognizing her as a minor celebrity and admiring her work.

Their bond develops into an intimate yet nonsexual relationship, deepened by an unspoken emotional pull. Although he falls for her, Davey chooses not to act on his feelings, unwilling to jeopardize his marriage or the predictable life he has with Claire. This restraint makes him a sensitive and layered character, who navigates his feelings with caution and respect for his own boundaries.

Davey expresses himself through dance, a medium that bridges the gap between words and emotions in ways the narrator finds profoundly moving. Observing him dance and joining him in these expressive moments awakens parts of her creative and emotional self that have been dormant. This artistic connection becomes a central element of their relationship, offering her a new mode of intimacy that she finds both liberating and deeply meaningful.

Davey’s appearance is that of an “ordinary” young man in his twenties, with a boyish charm the narrator finds unexpectedly attractive. She describes him with a “Huckleberry Finn/Gilbert Blythe” look that reminds her of past youthful crushes. His cropped hair and “downy little mustache” make him seem unassuming, almost silly, yet endear him to her. As she grows closer to him, this initial attraction intensifies, especially when she witnesses him bare-chested or in the throes of dance—moments that resonate with her on a visceral level.

Harris

Harris, the narrator’s husband and Sam’s father, is a steady but reserved figure in her life, embodying stability and order. Unlike the narrator, he isn’t particularly expressive or adventurous, which creates a formality between them that the narrator both relies on and resents. While she has strong feelings for him, she hides parts of her true self, believing that their marriage works best when focused on practical matters rather than deep emotional connection. Together, they navigate life’s crises—such as Sam’s traumatic birth and smaller challenges like their dog’s shedding—with a resilience that underscores their compatibility in difficult times.

For much of the novel, Harris stands as a roadblock in the narrator’s quest for self-discovery, his steady presence grounding but also restricting her. Despite her attraction to Davey and her yearning for freedom, she feels unable to fully leave Harris, as he provides a sense of security—even if it stifles her. When they decide to open their marriage, however, their relationship shifts, allowing each of them to explore new experiences while preserving a supportive bond. This evolution transforms Harris from a stabilizing force into a more equal partner in her life, offering her the space to grow while maintaining their friendship.

Jordi

Jordi, the narrator’s best friend, serves as a supportive, grounding presence throughout the novel, acting as her confidant and moral compass. With Jordi, the narrator feels completely herself, enjoying relaxed weekly meet-ups at Jordi’s sculpting studio where they eat junk food and talk openly about life. Unlike other relationships in the narrator’s life, her friendship with Jordi is free of judgment. Jordi, who is happily married to her wife, Mel, listens without critique to the narrator’s marital challenges and desire for new experiences. She remains compassionate and open-minded, yet she’s never afraid to tell the narrator hard truths, speaking up when she feels the narrator might be acting impulsively or making risky choices.

Because of this honesty, the narrator trusts Jordi implicitly, finding in her a steady source of wisdom and comfort that eclipses even her bond with her husband, Harris.

Arkanda

Arkanda, a well-known pop star, appears briefly but significantly in the story as someone the narrator idolizes and desperately wishes to meet. Their connection starts when Arkanda’s team reaches out, suggesting a possible collaboration, which the narrator imagines as an exciting artistic union—a chance to co-create on a scale she couldn’t reach alone. She sees Arkanda’s fame as a potential boost for her own creative dreams, envisioning a shared world where they’d create music, visuals, and art direction that would make a lasting cultural impact. But after numerous delays from Arkanda’s team, the narrator learns that Arkanda simply wants to discuss her experience with FMH, a traumatic event they both share from childbirth.

When they finally meet in Chapter 28, Arkanda’s honesty about her trauma prompts the narrator to confront her own unresolved pain. Through this raw, shared experience, the narrator finds a sense of release and a renewed creative energy, allowing her to begin a new artistic project.

Essay Topics

Examine how the narrator’s life in Los Angeles confines her. How does her home environment shape her behavior and limit her self-expression? In what ways does she conform to the expectations of her domestic life, and what about this setting makes it hard for her to explore her true identity?
Consider how the narrator’s journey sparks her transformation. How does her vision for the cross-country trip compare to the reality she experiences? What does she gain from this unexpected journey, and how does it encourage her independence?
How is the narrator’s sense of self tied to her art? Explore her moods, actions, and sense of purpose when she’s creating versus when she isn’t. Why does she try to keep her artistic world separate from her family life, and what happens when the two intersect?
Trace how the narrator’s marriage to Harris shifts over time. How does their changing relationship reflect the novel’s themes of sexual freedom and marital norms? What about their marriage both restricts and enables her exploration of self?
Analyze the impact of Sam’s birth on the narrator. How does this experience shape her fears and actions throughout the novel? How does addressing this trauma ultimately affect her?
Discuss how the narrator’s views on sexuality change over the course of the story. How does her relationship with sex evolve from the beginning to the end of the novel? Use examples from the text to explore how each sexual encounter mirrors her self-awareness at that time.
What is the significance of All Fours as a title? How does it relate to the narrator’s life journey, her experiences, and her growth as both a woman and an artist?
Examine how Room 321 at the Excelsior Motel becomes more than just a setting. How does this space aid the narrator in her self-exploration? At the same time, in what ways might it hold her back? Provide examples from the text.
Explore the importance of dance throughout the novel. What does dance help the narrator realize or experience, and how does it connect her to her own creative work? How does this art form mirror her own journey?
In Part 4, the narrator’s trip to New York brings fresh insight and closure. What clarity does she gain there, and how does this part of her journey tie together the novel’s themes? Consider the symbolism of this final setting in her story.

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Luka

I love to read and I enjoy exploring a range of genres including contemporary and historical fiction, mysteries, thrillers, nonfiction, and memoirs. If you would like me to review your book, feel free to reach out to me!