Middlesex

This was one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. In short, this is a story about a hermaphrodite. But it's not just that. The story goes back to 1920 when family decisions in a foreign country, many of them disturbing, led to the life and times of Calliope (the narrator and hermaphrodite at the heart of the story taking place in present day United States). This novel has a ton of history in it before you even get to what Cal must go through, but its an interesting as can be, and it all has a purpose. A domino effect of family decisions thats realized too late. I loved how tastefully this was done, while being brutally honest about body image, sexuality, love, and shame. I learned so much from this book, even though the story itself wasn't real. And now that I understand a lot more, I have a little more insight for people born with what are considered "defects" such as these. The narrator was definitely a hero just by being. Sometimes its so hard to completely love the narrator in particular stories, but I felt myself pulling for this character and feeling his feelings more than any character I can think of from my recent reading choices.

I highly recommend this. This is not always the easiest book to read through, but its unique in its delivery. If you are expecting a raunchy expose on the life of a hermaphrodite, look elsewhere.

I think its an achievement and I'm not surprised its being considered a "modern classic". I actually finished reading this a few days ago and needed to think about it before writing my thoughts on it, and I still sometimes feel like I'm missing some of how wonderful this book was. It will not be for everyone. But for the ones who it is for, they will love it.