Middlesex

Middlesex: A Novel

by Jeffrey Eugenides











My other favorite book of all time. Jeoffery Eugenides is a masterful story teller whose prose flows naturally and in an easy-to-realate-to way. His imagery and subtle foreshadowing make the plot unfold as if you're right there in it. This story is told in the style of an epic Greek poem, although without the rhymes ;) It follows the journey of a single allele through a family from Mount Olympous to Detroit over three generations, as narrated by the owner of a rare double-hit of this allele resulting in a type of hermaphroditism. After the story of the allele is told, the author shares his own struggle growing from a little girl to a teenage girl to a man. In this unique twist of a coming-of-age story, I was astounded how closely the narrator's experiences, thoughts and feelings as a pubescent girl mirrored my own. Eugenides definately is able to climb into the minds of his characters, which makes for a much more engaging and believable read.