Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I have no idea how I managed to miss this book all my life. Middlesex was published in 2002 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. After reading this novel, it is so easy to see why. I cannot believe I put reading this off for so long after having it show up on so many "to-read" lists I've seen.

To say I enjoyed Middlesex would be an insult to how I felt reading it. Middlesex is about a greek hermaphrodite who was raised a woman but at it's heart its about a family that spans generations. It would be easy for me to say I enjoyed this book so much in part of my own greek heritage and seeing my family in this family but I think that actually had very little to do with it.

Like I said, this novel spans three generations with our narrator telling second hand stories about her grandparents and parents from her point of view and finally her own life story. It's hard to say which "set" of stories I liked most. The family history was fascinating and so geniusly woven together. The funny thing is, I usually hate novels that take place over long periods of time (Gone with the Wind being the one, very large exception). But, here I found it engrossing and never lagging.

This book touched on so many themes like family, heritage, having children, duty to parents. It was an emotional read and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for weeks to come. I highly recommend this book to all readers. I'm positive you will enjoy it.