No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories in chicago readers

Jun 22, 2007

Jason Pettus rated it:

Read in December, 2007

(My full review of this book is longer than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)

I don't think it's any secret by now that I'm not a big fan of short stories, and even less so of bound story collections released as full-length books. I mean, I don't dislike short stories per se, just that I don't particularly go out of my way to read them either, and in general find most to be there and then g...more (My full review of this book is longer than GoodReads' word-count limitations. Find the entire essay at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)

I don't think it's any secret by now that I'm not a big fan of short stories, and even less so of bound story collections released as full-length books. I mean, I don't dislike short stories per se, just that I don't particularly go out of my way to read them either, and in general find most to be there and then gone again before I've ever really gotten a chance to sink my teeth into them, a frustrating thing for someone like me who really likes to do a deep, analytical reading of all the projects I consume in my life. But I also acknowledge that this is merely my personal biases shining through, and that there are in fact lots of things to admire about the short-fiction format as well, and lots of reasons to like stories precisely because they aren't full-length novels. For example, it's undeniable that in Western culture at least, short stories are one of the only narrative formats where one is allowed to ditch the traditional three-act structure (the framework behind most Western fictional projects since the times of the ancient Greeks), one of the only places where artists are allowed to be truly experimental without automatically having their work tossed into the "artsy mess" ghetto that so many of the general populace refuses to enter. It's a thing I've been thinking more and more about this year, in fact, of where the balance should lay in a person's life between longer traditional stories and shorter experimental ones; that while it's true that a well-rounded person should have a little of both as part of their intellectual diet, it's also true that most of us by human nature are going to vastly prefer one format over the other.

Take as a good example the first story collection I've now read for review here at CCLaP, the engaging and sometimes deeply disturbing No one belongs here more than you., the first traditional book by non-traditional artist Miranda July; it is in fact a perfect example of what I'm talking about, with the stories on display being both greater as a whole than any traditional novel and so much less as a sum of its parts, an experience that feels like being on a moped on an urban street full of start-and-stop traffic. Although ultimately a worthwhile publication, full of stories that I think really stand out among the world of contemporary literature, the book is unfortunately a fitful read as well, with certain pieces that will yank your brain right out of the made-up world that July so carefully slipped you into during the previous story. That's frustrating to me, as someone who likes getting caught up in the fictional projects I take on; it's frustrating to lose oneself in one of July's deceptively intense stories on display, just to be yanked back into the real world with the subpar writing or plotting of the next.

So why take on this book in the first place? Well, because...(less)

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Feb 21, 2008

Jp rated it:

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: People who can appreciate discomfort

This book smoldered in my brain like a reactive chemical substance. Miranda July's stories recall all of those intimate, sensitive, humilating or awkward moments you would rather forget. Her characters sit uncomfortably close. "Something That Needs Nothing" stood out for me from the rest of the collection; it is one of the most painful love stories I can think of.

I tend to read for details, and am generally moved by language, by specific rhythms and words. I did not come aw...more

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Jan 08, 2008

Maya rated it:

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: mice and men

This is what they mean when they say off-beat. Normally, that characterization would make me turn up my nose, but I liked her movie (Me You and Everyone We Know). So I read her book, and I'll be damned if it isn't lilting and awkward, gentle and brash all at once. The characters don't seem to be permutations of different parts of one person's psyche. They're all distinct, and some of them are people whose hands I'd like to hold. This book if full of vibrant colors and dirty river water bend...more

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Jul 16, 2007

Sharon rated it:

In the film "Me and You and Everyone We Know," Miranda July created a bold, sensitive statement about communication---and particularly the way the Internet and technology changed it--that resonated deeply with me. Here, July crafts stories that are centered around many of the same themes--communication, loneliness, and the artifice of relationships, among other topics, crop up again and again. She employs the same use of poetic metaphor and the blend of humorous and yet cutting dialogu...more

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Mar 16, 2008

Caroline rated it:

bookshelves: 40-books-in-2008

so, i've been a huge fan of miranda july's for the past 2 years, ever since i watched me, you, and everyone we know. i've also been checking out her website collaboration - http://learningtoloveyoumore.com/. you should all check it out if you have time! follow some of the questions and do some fun things!

"no one belongs here more than you" is a set of short stories based on the theme that all the characters in the stories belong where they are, whether the story ends up ...more

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Nov 27, 2007

Kelly Mac rated it:

After reading "The Shared Patio," I was spinning my wheels with excitement for this collection to come out. It is all so well written but I felt like when I finished the last story that it was like falling off the edge of a cliff. Love her style of writing but the stories really dragged. Will definitely give it a second chance

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Apr 19, 2007

Shelley rated it:

Read in April, 2008

I prefer Miranda's performance pieces to her writing. I thought You and Me and Everyone We Know was heartbreakingly brilliant and I had the good fortune to see her perform Love Diamond in 1999. I have to say about her writing, however, not so much. I suppose that her work is hard-wired into me to be visual.

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Feb 07, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

bookshelves: short-stories

Read in February, 2008

recommended to Stephanie by: Becca

These stories were short and sometimes I found myself wishing they would go on a little longer. But many of them I also felt were too contrived. I like Miranda July and loved her movie, but this book annoyed me in parts.

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Sep 28, 2007

Eugenia Williamson rated it:

I typed out whole paragraphs of this book because I loved it so much. How does she manage to be the most adorable person on the planet and an exceptionally talented writer? HOW???

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