Important Read
In "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides we meet Calliope Stephanides who was born with ambiguos genitalia. The novel tells her entire life story starting at how their grandparents met up until Calliope choosing to become "Cal".
This is a very, very, very important read. Eugenides is just the master of putting so much message into his novels that the stay with you for a long time. I actually wrote a term paper in my advanced literature course about this novel and I could go on for pages and pages why you should give it a try. I am aware that the topic of hermaphroditism isn't for everyone and this is clearly not a novel for entertainment but family chronic of some sorts. It's not very easy to read and I found myself having to start over and over again because it's very hard not to dose off. Eugenides describes every oh so little detail, which may be important if you see it in the bigger picture but for the read it's just very difficult to keep on reading and don't start skimming. (Writing 1/5)
It's very interesting to see it all come together in the end, the reason for Calliope's hermaphroditism beign the incestual relationship of their grandparents and her deciding not to remain somewhere in the middle of two sexes (middlesex, get it? Eugenides, you sneaky genius), but choosing one sex that she wants to keep. I just have a faible for novels that give it all to me, all the backstory, the entire life of a character without ommitting anything. Yes, it's difficult to read this, especially because Calliope goes through so much character development (obviously, the novel is written about a span of more than 80 years!!). Still I loved all characters. From Calliope's brother to her lovers and of course her grandparents. I suffered through every character death (which is inevitable, given it's 80 years time we're talking about and not everyone can be Gandalf). I learned so much about hermaphroditism during this novel and to the extent that someone who doesn't suffer from this can judge, Eugenides captures Calliope's feelings masterfully. (Characters 4/5)
Aside from the difficult topic, the novel's length is a major problem. Nothing's ommitted, every single detail from Calliope's and her ancestors' lives gets a part. Essentially this is somewhat of a biography of a fictional character rather than a novel. I especially enjoyed the romance her and her childhood friend, because it was written so innocently and beautifully (Plot 1/5).
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Overall: Do I Recommend?
This isn't for everyone. Incest isn't a very light topic and in combination with a lot of sexuality and graphic descriptions, this might scare a lot of people off. However, I think you're missing out because it's important to deal with topics like hermaphroditism.The novel made me be thankful for what I have.