Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002)

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

                In the village in Turkey where Desdemona and Lefty were from, things like this happened often. Well, at least there were stories of babies born looking like girls and then around fifteen they were boys. But that was in turkey in the early 1900’s, not Detroit in the 1970’s. There was a reason why first cousins weren’t allowed to marry and you even needed permission to marry a second cousin. Desdemona was always afraid that something would happen after her and Lefty got married. But then they had two kids and they were fine. Their children had kids and Calliope seemed fine. Calliope had no idea about her own truth, even though it should have been discovered at birth. She was born with the genitalia of a woman but the genetics of a man. Middlesex is what Cal has to say about his family history, the girl he used to be and the man he became.

                I can honestly say that I have never read a book about a hermaphrodite before. This was a great introduction into the topic. A little bit of science with a lot of emotional development. This is a lot less about the story of a young girl unaware of her hermaphroditism and more about three generations of Greeks and how they navigated life as a family. It is trying, emotional, funny, and gritty. Cal is our narrator and we are very aware from the beginning that he is a hermaphrodite living as a male. I found Cal to be an extremely well-written, well-executed character. The way he told the story made it really enjoyable and interesting. I found him witty and not at all self-deprecating. His goal, in my opinion was to inform readers of his life and how he came to be in this genetic position. The world building was amazing. I thought Eugenides through Cal’s voice was really able to capture the era, tone, and characteristics of each age, while still being able to describe in great detail the surroundings.

                Middlesex starts off very strong. I must admit that I found the history of the family way more interesting than his “discovery” of himself. Part of that is because the reader is always aware of his hermaphroditism so there is never any mystery involved. When he becomes aware of the truth he begins acting like a typical teenager and that close to the end of the book, my interest started wane. The story of Desdemona and Lefty, the story of Milton and Tessie, and even how they all interacted as a family was great. Eugenides’s writing style was really enjoyable. His change in narrative from past to present was done well. I rate this 4 out of 5 stars. It was really worth the read.