Chapter summaries All Fours Miranda July

All Fours Chapter 13 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

After returning home from her road trip, the narrator tries to hide her obsession with Davey from her husband, Harris, and their son, Sam. She lies to Harris, claiming her tears are caused by menopause. To suppress thoughts of Davey, she snaps a rubber band on her wrist. During a family walk, they discover a chair with "CALL ME" painted on it—the same chair Davey used to climb into the narrator's hotel window. She feigns ignorance and suggests placing it under the linden tree. Back home, she plunges into obsessive cleaning, filling eleven garbage bags and using a historic dough recipe to polish doorknobs. A real estate card arrives featuring a photograph of her in her old pink robe; she realizes a telephotographer captured the image and pins the card above her desk. The family adopts a rescue puppy named Smokey the Bear, who promptly breaks its leg. The narrator yells on the phone with Jordi, asking if Davey still masturbates thinking of her. She imagines a future where artificial intelligence lets dogs speak, and Smokey asks why she wanted that so badly. The chapter ends with the narrator wailing alongside the inconsolable dog.

Key Events

  • The narrator lies to Harris that she is crying because of menopause.
  • She uses a rubber band to snap herself whenever she thinks about Davey.
  • The family finds the painted "CALL ME" chair; the narrator recognizes it as Davey's but says nothing.
  • She engages in compulsive cleaning, filling trash bags and using a dough-cleaning method.
  • A real estate card with a telephoto picture of her arrives; she pins it up.
  • The family adopts a puppy, Smokey the Bear, who breaks his leg.
  • The narrator has a loud phone call with Jordi, obsessing over Davey's sexual thoughts.
  • She envisions a future where dogs can speak and Smokey questions her desire.
  • She ends the chapter wailing with the dog.

Character Development

The narrator's internal state deepens into compulsive obsession. She resorts to lies (menopause) and physical pain (rubber band) to manage her feelings, yet her cleaning and hoarding of the real estate card reveal a refusal to let go. Harris remains patient but lacks full understanding; his offer to "read up on menopause" underscores his limited ability to engage with her real turmoil. Sam, innocent and observant, senses something is wrong but cannot name it. Jordi serves as a confidante, absorbing the narrator's raw, unfiltered desires. Smokey the puppy becomes a mirror for the narrator's own grief and need for comfort.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Obsession and Deception: The rubber band snapping, the lie about menopause, and the hidden meaning of the "CALL ME" chair all illustrate the narrator's desperate attempt to control an uncontrollable desire.
  • The Body and Aging: Menopause is weaponized as a cover story, linking female biology to shame and miscommunication.
  • Cleaning as Coping: The obsessive scrubbing and purging of belongings represent an attempt to impose order on emotional chaos.
  • Surveillance and the Gaze: The telephotographer's picture turns the narrator into an object of observation, paralleling her own voyeuristic fixation on Davey.
  • Technology and Memory: The imagined AI that lets dogs speak highlights a longing for truth and confession, contrasting with the narrator's lies.
  • Motherhood vs. Desire: The narrator's role as a mother clashes with her raw sexual yearning, epitomized by the juxtaposition of dog care and crude phone talk.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 13 marks a turning point where the narrator's secret life begins to intrude on her domestic reality. The reappearance of the "CALL ME" chair—a tangible artifact of her affair—forces her to actively maintain the lie. The adoption of Smokey introduces a new dependent that mirrors her own vulnerability, while the future-dog fantasy offers a moment of potential self-reflection. The chapter deepens the tension between the narrator's performance of normalcy and the unsustainable chaos within.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does the narrator lie about menopause instead of confessing the truth about Davey?
    Answer: The lie is a conversation-ender that Harris accepts without challenge, allowing her to avoid confronting the real cause of her distress. It also taps into a cultural discomfort with female biology, giving her a socially acceptable reason for her mood.

  2. What does the "CALL ME" chair symbolize in this chapter?
    Answer: The chair represents the narrator's secret desire and the physical trace of her affair. By bringing it home and placing it under the linden tree, she literally incorporates her hidden life into her family's space, yet she refuses to acknowledge its meaning aloud.

  3. How does the narrator's phone call with Jordi reveal the depth of her obsession?
    Answer: She yells explicit questions about Davey's masturbation habits, disregarding the dog's distress and her own dignity. The call shows that her fixation has overtaken rational thought and social norms, reducing her desire to a crude, all-consuming need.

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