No One Belongs Here More Than You

Non so se ho esagerato attribuendo quattro stelle a questo libro, ma è stato un processo strano, di lenta conquista e questo voglio premiare. Conoscevo la July come attrice e regista, ma questi racconti me l'hanno fatta sentire a poco a poco più vicina. La diffidenza si è trasformata in entusiasmo e curiosità di scoprire quale delicata e sensibile stramberia avrebbe inventato nel nuovo racconto. Forse non è un caso che i primi mi siano piaciuti poco e gli ultimi molto. Forse va capita e lei ne dà comunque il modo, si vede che ci ha messo se stessa in queste strane storie. Lo rileggero', per scoprire se anche i primi racconti avevano quel qualcosa che ho visto negli ultimi e che per diffidenza non ho colto al principio.

This collection of short stories perfectly showcases both Miranda July's wonderful whims and her incredibly expressive writing. Unconventional thoughts, anecdotes, reactions, fantasies often lay the foundation or provide the key subplot of her quirky tales. Whether they be teaching 80-year-olds swimming on the floor, dating an imaginary sister of a retired colleague or silenting communicating while acting as extras on a movie set, these strange scenarios, often accompanied by offbeat outbursts of emotions or reactions, often feel wildly ridiculous and yet impossibly sweet and real. It's like July managed to tap into the crevices of subconscious, uncover unconnected and hence shamed and hidden impulses, and confront us with all these funny, outrageous, inexplicably familiar ideas.

While there are certainly moments where she veers towards self-indulgence and the quirkiness threatens to run into the absurd, but her marvelous words, which seem to be constantly manoeuvering a delicate dance between the comical and the inconsolable, could almost always deliver an unexpected blow and change the tone of the story so drastically, it leaves you scratching your head, catching your breath, feeling devastated but also somehow relieved. It's a testament to her writing how within pages she can develop strong characters with a vivid voice and how from one sentence to the next she can turn laugh-out-loud humor to shattering sadness.

Behind the myriad of narrators and side characters in all these stories, one common thread is probably their sense of loneliness, insecurity and being out of place. Whether they are rebellion teen girls, loveless couples or retired old men, it's just wonderful to see a talented writer like July bring these hurt souls to life, tell them it's ok to think the crazy thoughts and ask the stupid questions, tell them there's atually a whole world of outsiders just like them, waiting and shouting to be heard.