17/06/2024

The First Bad Man - Miranda July  💥 

The First Bad Man is a novel about Cheryl Glickman, a lonely and neurotic middle-aged woman, who works for a self-defense company and leads an isolated life filled with routines and fantasies. She’s in love with her older boss, Phillip, and has long harbored an unrealistic fantasy about the reincarnation of a baby named Kubelko Bondy. 

Her life is drastically disrupted when her boss asks Cheryl to take in their brash and chaotic 21-year-old daughter, Clee. Initially, Cheryl and Clee have a hostile relationship, marked by physical and emotional conflict. However, as time goes on, they develop a strange and intimate bond. Their confrontations gradually turn into an unusual form of self-defense training, and through these interactions, they discover hidden aspects of themselves and each other’s lives. 

My book cover refers to the DVDs from Open Palm, the self-defense company where Cheryl works. These instructional videos form the basis of the connection Cheryl and Clee seek with each other. For inspiration, I looked at the exaggerated design elements from old action movie DVDs and karate posters. The cover, as a result, has a rather campy and humorous edge, much like the book’s content. Finally, for the endpapers, I sought out reference photos of wrestling women; when I sketched their silhouettes, the line between fighting and further intimacy blurred—just as it does in the book... 

✷ Genre: contemporary literature, absurdism 

✷ Themes: loneliness, obsession and control, violence and intimacy 

✷ Recommended? Because this is my favorite book, I’d love to shout yes from the rooftops. But I suspect the absurd and taboo-laden atmosphere in this book isn’t for everyone. If you’re open to a mental whiplash (not from the wrestling), this book is for you..