February 3, 2014

“Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides – The Immigrant Experience

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Cover)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is best-classified as being an epic family saga, but that wouldn’t exactly do it justice, for it offers a very interesting and perhaps even unique take on the whole thing.

What does that mean? Well, for starters, our protagonist and narrator was born as a girl… but then ended up growing into a boy due to a genetic defect covered up as a family secret many years ago.

He/she is simply referred to as Cal, and we see our protagonist and his family as they come to America from a village overlooking Mount Olympus, how they lived during the Great Depression, Detroit’s rise to greatness as the “motor city”, and their move to the suburban lands of Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Though the above summary may seem a bit short to you, the book itself is rather long, both in terms of pages and the type of content it offers. On one hand, we get to witness Cal’s growth and transformation, which can serve as a metaphor or symbol for a number of different things, from the obvious one of gender confusion to that of what immigrants experience, especially across generations.

The characters touch upon a number of personal and perhaps even somewhat embarrassing topics, all in search of some kind of identity, and perhaps a sense of closure. It is a story of a human’s search for purpose, meaning, and ultimately, happiness, despite the rather unusual hand he/she was dealt. At least, that was my overall impression of the book.

Of course, as you could have already guessed, the characters themselves and all the family stories aren’t the only things which give value to this book. Alongside all the personal, emotional and philosophical explorations we are also given the opportunity to experience the right places in America, at the right time.

We are taken on a seemingly-fantastic and otherworldly journey through times most of us only know about from textbooks, placing a greater focus on not only the events themselves, but how they affected any human life related to them.

From a technical standpoint, I can’t find any faults in this book worth mentioning. Eugenides truly has an exceptional mastery of the English language, always using concise and evocative words in his descriptions, never making them feel boring, even the more stretched out ones.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Cover)
He manages to give importance even to the moments which don’t directly advance the story, creating something that is far greater than the sum of its parts. All in all, those who enjoy deep and thought-provoking family sagas will definitely take a liking to this book.



Jeffrey Eugenides (Author)

Jeffrey Eugenides


Jeffrey Eugenides is an American short story writer and novelist, having already many works under his name, including the renowned Middlesex, The Marriage Plot, and The Virgin Suicides.

He was the recipient of numerous awards since the mid-1980s, including the Guggeinheim Fellowship and the 2011 Salon Book Award.

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