Something that Needs Nothing by Miranda July

Paris, Texas.

Miranda July’s Something That Needs Nothing is one of those short-stories that sneaks up on you. At first, it feels like a quirky, offbeat tale about two teenage girls running away to Portland, trying to carve out their own little world of independence. But as the story progresses, you realize it’s really about queerness, codependence and the slow, painful process of figuring out who you are when the person you love doesn’t feel the same way.

The protagonist starts off with this almost blind devotion to Pip, clinging to the idea that their friendship is something more, something permanent. She’s willing to do anything to be with her even if that means living in near poverty, take humiliating jobs, pretending not to care when Pip starts drifting away. You can feel that desperate, aching hope in every line, that festering, unspoken fear of being left behind. But what’s really interesting is how she slowly changes over time. By the end, she’s not exactly "over" Pip, but she’s no longer trapped in that same cycle of chasing and waiting. She starts to build something for herself and assert her own autonomy, even if it means taking a terrible job at a peep show in order to pay the rent. 

That being said, I did have a few minor quibbles. The story probaby drags on a little longer than it needed to, making some sections feel repetitive. I also found that July’s signature quirkiness, while amusing at times, was also bit distracting in places. Almost as if she was trying too hard to imbue the story with idiosyncracies. But even with those minor issues, the story nails that feeling of young, obsessive love. You know, the kind where you shape your entire world around someone only to realize that they were never holding it up to begin with. July’s writing is weird and unconventional, with an underlying melancholy that percolates just beneath the surface. The climax is surprisingly hopeful, offering a beautiful reconcilation of the the two characters, suggesting tat even though life is full of hardships and the world doesn't make a whole lot of sense, it eventually gets better. Even if it's only for a short time. Life's messy, just like real emotional growth tends to be.