Miranda July has a way of observing the world that feels entirely her own. Her stories often feature characters who are searching for connection, even in strange or awkward ways.
You see this in her collection *No One Belongs Here More Than You* and her novel *The First Bad Man*. She explores modern life with a mix of humor and melancholy.
If you appreciate her distinct style, you might be interested in discovering other authors with a similar sensibility. This article will introduce you to writers who capture a similar kind of quirky and insightful perspective.
Lorrie Moore is a writer known for her sharp wit, insightful humor, and original way of looking at everyday life. If you’re drawn to Miranda July’s quirky, honest characters, Moore’s collection “Birds of America” might resonate deeply with you.
This collection of short stories explores lonely, funny, and heartfelt moments of regular people, each caught up in their own quiet dramas.
One memorable tale features a woman who accidentally invites a stranger into her home, while another follows the journey of a mother coping humorously yet poignantly with her infant’s illness.
Moore brings warmth and unexpected laughs to tough situations, capturing human nature beautifully in the small, seemingly ordinary moments.
Readers who enjoy Miranda July’s playful and honest exploration of life’s awkward and tender moments might appreciate Sheila Heti’s thoughtful yet humorous narratives.
Heti’s novel “How Should a Person Be?” blends fiction and autobiography to examine friendship, art, and self-discovery. The story follows Sheila, a young playwright struggling to write a meaningful play and understand her role in life.
She navigates her complex friendship with Margaux, an artist whose boldness challenges Sheila’s perspective on creativity and identity.
Through candid conversations, emails, and introspective reflections, the novel raises insightful questions about authenticity, ambition, and personal identity.
Sheila Heti tackles life’s messy and profound moments with a sincerity and humor readers of Miranda July may find familiar and deeply relatable.
Lydia Davis is an American author known for her very short stories and insightful observations of everyday life. If you enjoy the quirky and imaginative style of Miranda July, you might appreciate Davis’s book “Can’t and Won’t.”
In this collection, Davis offers stories that capture small moments with humor, empathy, and thoughtful precision. One story features a letter of complaint about peas, turning an ordinary annoyance into a humorous reflection on minor frustrations.
Another turns a simple trip by train into a gently amusing meditation on discomfort and misunderstanding. Davis draws attention to quiet absurdities and human details that often go unnoticed, creating sharp, engaging glimpses of everyday life.
Aimee Bender is a writer known for her whimsical yet thought-provoking storytelling, blending the ordinary with the surreal in surprising ways. If you appreciate Miranda July’s quirky and heartfelt narratives, “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” may resonate with you deeply.
The novel follows Rose, a young girl who discovers she can taste people’s emotions through the food they cook. From the first bitter bite of her mother’s sadness baked into lemon cake, Rose navigates a reality layered with hidden truths.
Bender captures a sense of longing and wonder in everyday moments, reminding readers of the mysterious threads woven quietly into ordinary life.
If you enjoy Miranda July’s quirky and offbeat storytelling, you might appreciate Ottessa Moshfegh’s dark humor and unique characters.
Her novel “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” explores a young woman who feels disconnected from her affluent New York City life and decides to sleep for an entire year—thanks to heavy doses of prescription drugs.
The protagonist’s blunt observations about the absurdity of modern life and her strange attempt at healing make this book both hilarious and disturbing. Moshfegh takes ordinary human experiences to absurd extremes, creating a story that’s funny, sad, and undeniably strange.
Ali Smith is a Scottish author known for playful, insightful novels that thoughtfully explore human connections and everyday challenges. Her book “There but for the” is a good place to start if you enjoy Miranda July’s quirky yet heartfelt storytelling.
The novel begins with a dinner party guest who unexpectedly locks himself in a bedroom and refuses to leave. As days turn into weeks, Smith introduces a mix of amusing and complicated characters impacted by this strange situation.
Through sharp humor and emotional depth, Smith invites readers into the lives of these characters and highlights the oddities and tenderness in ordinary human interactions.
Books by Karen Russell have a wonderfully strange quality. She writes about ordinary worlds twisted by imagination and fantasy. Her collection “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” is the perfect example.
It includes stories about mysterious swamps, a camp for kids who struggle with sleep disorders, and even a home where girls raised by wolves have to adjust to human society.
Russell introduces surreal scenarios and builds characters readers can’t help but connect to, blending humor with insight into human nature, in a style readers of Miranda July would immediately appreciate.
Jenny Offill writes stories that tap into the strange and thoughtful corners of everyday moments, similar to Miranda July. Her novel “Dept. of Speculation” follows a woman as she examines her marriage, motherhood, and the small struggles of her creative life.
Told in short, sharp bursts of reflection, the narrative blends humor, sadness, and a sense of wonder.
The main character thinks about astronauts and bedbugs, contemplates philosophy, and juggles family tensions—all through moments small enough to fit neatly but powerfully on the page.
Offill’s style is quirky and honest, filled with emotional truths that capture how people think and live.
Readers who enjoy Miranda July might find Megan Boyle’s work appealing for its honest, quirky style. Boyle’s book “Liveblog” offers an intimate look into her own life over several months. The narrative consists of journal-like entries posted online in real-time.
Boyle writes openly about everyday happenings, personal anxieties, relationships, and ordinary details, creating a spontaneous, relatable flow.
Her experimental approach blurs lines between fiction and personal confession, similar to the way Miranda July captures life’s strangeness through unusual and often funny moments.
Readers who enjoy Miranda July’s blend of quirky honesty and emotional depth might find a great match in Chris Kraus. Kraus is an author and filmmaker known for her fearless exploration of personal experiences and raw, authentic voice.
Her novel “I Love Dick” blurs the lines between fiction, memoir, and social commentary. In this story, the protagonist Chris becomes involved in an obsessive, unrequited infatuation with a man known only as “Dick.”
Through a series of intense and revealing letters addressed to Dick, Chris explores art, desire, feminism, and identity. The writing is sharp and often uncomfortably truthful. It’s a narrative that pushes boundaries and provokes reflection on relationships and self-awareness.
Etgar Keret is an Israeli author known for his short stories that have a sense of humor and uncover unexpected human perspectives. If you appreciate Miranda July’s offbeat and whimsical style, Keret’s “Suddenly, a Knock on the Door” might resonate with you as well.
This collection features a blend of absurdity and realism, often dealing with ordinary people who encounter extraordinary situations.
For example, in the title story, the narrator experiences persistent interruptions from three strangers, each demanding he invent a brand-new story on the spot.
Keret effortlessly combines playful charm with thought-provoking emotion, making his work an engaging read for fans of July’s imaginative storytelling.
Books by Deborah Levy explore ordinary lives with unexpected twists, blending sharp insights and emotional depth. In her novel “Hot Milk,” Levy brings us Sofia, a young woman who travels with her mother to a remote Spanish village for treatment of an unexplained illness.
What starts as a straightforward trip soon shifts into layers of strange encounters, strained relationships, and subtle shifts of power. The story captures that awkward yet powerful tension between caring deeply for someone and longing for independence.
If Miranda July’s quirky yet emotionally honest style resonates with you, Deborah Levy’s work might offer that same mix of surprise, humor, and insight.
Readers who appreciate Miranda July’s sharp wit and insightful observation of everyday life will likely connect with Miranda Popkey’s work. Her debut novel, “Topics of Conversation,” explores intimate conversations among women across various stages of life.
These honest dialogues reveal their hopes, fears, desires, and the unspoken tensions beneath everyday interactions.
Through brief but powerful vignettes, Popkey captures women’s inner complexity, challenging reader expectations about identity, relationships, and what it means to be vulnerable.
Fans of July’s candid, offbeat approach to storytelling may find Popkey’s depiction of modern womanhood equally absorbing.
Nico Walker is an American author whose debut novel, “Cherry,” offers a raw and honest exploration of love, war, addiction, and crime.
Inspired by Walker’s personal experiences, the story follows an unnamed narrator who falls deeply in love before serving as an army medic in Iraq.
Once home, he struggles to find his place and turns to opioids, eventually becoming entangled in a series of desperate bank robberies.
Readers drawn to Miranda July’s intimate and candid portrayals of vulnerable characters may find Walker’s storytelling equally authentic and engaging.
If you enjoy Miranda July’s unusual blend of heartfelt emotion, boldness, and a bit of weirdness, Carmen Maria Machado might catch your attention.
Machado’s book “Her Body and Other Parties” is a short-story collection where reality feels strange and intriguing, and everyday moments reveal deeper truths. In one story, a woman wears a green ribbon around her neck, a secret she keeps even from her husband.
In another, Machado takes a familiar TV series (“Law & Order: SVU”) and turns it into something eerie and dreamlike. The stories twist reality gently, showing us feelings and fears hidden beneath the surface of ordinary life.
Machado’s approach to relationships, women’s experiences, and identity is fresh, often mixing humor and darkness in ways that draw you in and stay with you.