Middlesex

If I were asked to design my ideal book from scratch, I imagine it would look a lot like Middlesex: an expansive saga with a distinctive structure, sharp and engaging prose, a wide range of thought-provoking themes, and a heavy dose of humor.

That said, I absolutely understand some of the critiques. It tries to do too much. The backstory drags in places. The writing can feel overly casual. The big character twists involving Jimmy Zizmo and Uncle Mike come out of left field. The narrator’s adult voice does not always seem to match the child being portrayed. The exploration of gender may feel surprisingly hands-off for a novel centered on an intersex person. And the way the story brushes up against so many major historical events can feel a little too Forrest Gump.

I could probably make a defense for each of those complaints, and many of them are fair. But the bottom line is that I don’t really care, because I loved the book anyway. It made me think about the role and implications of gender without feeling preachy, while also being genuinely fun to read. In particular, the scene describing The Obscure Object’s brother’s reaction to his intimate moment with Cal was hilarious.

Book author: Jeffrey Eugenides