No One Belongs Here More Than You (2007)

USA
Short Story Collection
Author: Miranda July

Miranda July’s first collection of short stories bares in common with all her work, a focus on human interactions, the need that people have to connect with other people, and the difficulties that this often entails. The stories involve shared patio rosters, swimming lessons for the elderly held in the teacher’s living room, a middle-age woman’s obsession with Prince William, a paedophile’s homosexual relationship with his Hispanic workmate via his imaginary teenage sister, pre-teen lesbian sex, nudie booths, a secretary to a fake accountant, and a father passing on sexual techniques to his daughter. Although these are not everyday occurrences, the emotions involved are. The more bizarre and unusual the story, the more it highlights the commonality of human experience and emotion. It is not often that one feels empathy with a paedophile, yet July’s deeply human writing achieves this. A funny, insightful and moving masterpiece.