The First Bad Man

July's (No One Belongs Here More Than You) first novel's mannered, grim quirkiness is unlikely to disappoint her longtime fans, but listeners unfamiliar with July's work should be prepared for an unnerving book, the humor of which rests on satire and frequently veers into obscenity but which is remarkably sophisticated for a debut novel. July manages tender observations about human connection and our internal lives, and the novel as a whole has a pleasing terrarium-like quality, rendering as it does a small, isolated, neatly ordered world, perhaps with a deficit of fresh air, but still with enough surprise to be interesting. Cheryl initially seems to be a hapless 43-year-old woman with odd ways of structuring her life. She works for a not-for-profit organization that teaches self-defense to women, run by a couple who maneuver her into taking their voluptuous, sloth-like daughter in as a "roommate." Cheryl's relationship with Clee plays out in surprising ways, illuminating the development of Cheryl's particular tastes and reflecting back to the reader a meditation on the personal nature of desire and purpose and how the meaning in our lives sometimes jumps out and ambushes us. July herself reads, her narration suiting the character and mood of the novel perfectly.