When I first read the synopsis of this book , I was intrigued. I wanted to read it but then, with one thing or another, I completely forgot all about it until I found it on the List.
I know Eugenides from his previous work, The Virgin Suicides, which I read ages ago and liked. Or at least I think I did. I forget. Which means it did not make much of an impact on me.
Well, I don't think there'll be a danger of me forgetting the protagonist of Middlesex. I like Cal, the hermaphrodite hero of the novel, and his weird and quirky Greek family. It spans three generations, beginning with the story of his grandparents who were brother and sister (!), going through the love story of his parents who were cousins, and ending with Cal, who begins life as Calliope and discovers at age 14 that s/he is more than meets the eye.
As with epic stories, there are parts in the novel that get tedious but, for the most part, this story was a very enjoyable read. It was also well written and, more importantly, does not have the self-importance attached to it as I have encountered with the other books I've read on this List. I liked that part the most.
This book restored my faith in the FUN of reading. Thank God. For a while there, I was worried.
I highly recommend this book. At the very least, it's entertaining.
My next book is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. But I'm currently taking a break from the list and reading Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, which I'm enjoying very very much.
