Middlesex

I read this book a few months ago and it's been very hard for me to work up something to write up about it. It's the story of a hermaphrodite, but it's really a story about the generations of family that lead up to her story.

The historical background is quite interesting. It follows the origins of two immigrants who are from a small village in the Mediterranean. As the Turks invade their country, a brother and sister flee the country. However, they fall in love and this sparks the first genetic mutation that leads to their granddaughter's "birth defect".

What made the writing great is that you were emotionally drawn to each of the characters; though not necessarily in a positive fashion. However, the fact that you do feel something when you think upon the personality traits of the characters made me really like the book. Initially I did have problems because the story jumps from various generations of the family and can be difficult to follow. Also, the events and emotions that the characters feel can be intense at times which makes it a bit of a "heavy" read.

I actually found the history of Cal's (main character, the hermaphrodite) family more interesting than her life story. While she is a very dynamic character filled with complex emotions and challenges, the historical references due to the nature of the characters' origins make their surrounding characters and regions an attractive draw for me because I feel that historical culture is very interesting.

In the end, the thoughts I have about this book is that it shows both how harsh and delicate a human being can be. The type of emotional trauma and treatment Cal faces is something I could only imagine. Also, the recounts of the Turkish invasion, the riots in Detroit, the mafia... it's quite depressing. However, the story ends with hope as Cal finally finds a woman to love him for what she was.

Interesting indeed.

Overall Score: 8/10