Middlesex by Jeffery Euginides

This is certainly an impressive book. It has quickly climbed the charts to become one of my favorites. I would't call it a light read and though it might not appeal to everyone at first, considering the fact that it's about a hermaphrodite, you won't regret reading it. I too was slightly apprehensive when my boss first handed me this book. I wondered what exactly it would be about. But boy, I wasn't the least bit disappointed.

Middlesex is the second book by author Jeffery Euginides, who has also written The Virgin Suicides (thats next on my list). The narrator, Calliope Stephanides, tells her story and also that of her grand parents and parents, as if she is living their life with them. The narration is beautiful. You really feel like a part of them. She first takes you through the life of her grandparents in Greece and how they flee to America when the Turks invade. She then shows you how they face tough times till finally they start their own business, which takes off. Then come her parents, their love story and finally herself. She is born a girl but during her teens realizes that she isn't like other girls. In fact, she isn't a girl at all. She then undergoes a tumultuous transformation from girl to boy. 

The book is divided into 4 parts, each part dealing with a different time in the life of the Stephanides family. The language in the book is so captivating. I had a great time looking up words in the dictionary. They weren't difficult but I somehow didn't know the exact meaning of some. It was so intriguing to discover the world of a troubled and confused hermaphrodite. The subject is dealt with so tenderly that not for a moment do you feel strange. It is even funny at times, mostly intelligent humor.

It also covers a lot of history. The Detroit riots of 1967 are detailed in one of the chapters as that is the city where the family is settled. I discovered so much while reading this book that it left me fascinated and yearning for more. The coming-of-age story entwined with the family epic makes it a delectable read. I loved the way the writer deals with the plethora of complex human emotions so finely. This book of 529 pages is one of the best pieces of writing I have come across. 

Here is a line from the book which I really liked. I am planning to get it inked someday. 

"Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus" - "We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes."

P.S. Oh, did I happen to mention that it has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2002. Hell, its that good !

P.P.S. I took the Middlesex quiz here and got only 3 wrong out of 15 !!!