Middlesex: A Novel

An epic story in four parts, it’s easy to see why this won the Pulitzer Prize. Told from the point of view of Calliope or Cal Stephanides (at times omnipotent) this tells the fate of an intersex individual growing up in Detroit.

The book describes the pain and pleasure we feel as humans living on Earth, with the added struggles of being Greek in the midcentury Midwest and growing through puberty as an undiagnosed intersex individual.

Some of the strongest literary tools woven throughout were allusions to classic Greek literature and theater. I also loved the symbolism of the crocus and flower buds to describe something that might otherwise been seen as grotesque.

I truly loved this book and the stories it told. One of my favorite passages:

“From my birth when they went undetected, to my baptism where they upstaged the priest, to my troubled adolescence when they didn’t do much of anything and then they did everything all at once, my genitals have been the most significant thing that ever happened to me. Some people inherit houses; others paintings or highly insured violin bows. Still others get a Japanese tansu or a famous name. I got a recessive gene on my fifth chromosome and some very rare family jewels indeed.”

Don't let the fact that this book won a Pulitzer Prize throw you off. It's not highbrow fiction that you should read because it's "good literature". It's just flat-out good storytelling.

This was by far one of the best books I have ever read. A great story that was extremely well-written. An enjoyable read from beginning to end. I recommend this book to everyone.

An incredibly unique and engrossing story. a look at what it means to be different in america over three generations - immigrants trying to make a life in detroit, experiencing adolescence as a hermaphrodite. Excellent.