Middlesex is a very entertaining "dark comedy" about hermaphoditism, of all things. I say "dark" only in the sense of the psychological pain that this abnormality causes the narrator - Calliope/Cal. But actually, the story of three generations of Greek-Americans is a colorful and lively one, with much depth. At least 75% of the book deals with this Greek - immigrant epic. Coming from a somewhat parallel Italian-American experience, much of it looked familiar. In particular, Cal's family settled in Detroit, while my ancestors went to Cleveland, another rust-belt catastrophe. Cal's brother, a few years older than she, was exactly my age and shared many coming of age experiences (such as participating in the Draft Lottery in 1972, and being drawn to the 60's/70's counter-culture). The descriptions of the folks from the old country rang true and reminded me of my old Sicilian "aunties" and "uncles", many of whom were not really related. Calliope even had an old family friend doctor, Dr. Phil, similar to mine when I was growing up. Other readers will find that the hermaphrodite element, which is indeed central to the plot, is handled very interestingly and with frankness but delicacy and humor. It's a very appealing book and worth the read. In fact, it won the Pulizer Prize for fiction in 2003.
For a review of the book by The NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/15/books/my-big-fat-greek-gender-identity-crisis.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
For a review of the book by The NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/15/books/my-big-fat-greek-gender-identity-crisis.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
