Sigh.That's what I did when I closed Middlesex after finishing the final chapter this afternoon. This book was heavy. I knew it would be, from page 1.
"I was born twice: first, as a baby girl, on a remarkably smogless Detroit day in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy, in an emergency room near Peoskey, Michigan, in August of 1974... An army tank led me into urban battle once; a swimming pool turned me into myth; I've left my body in order to occupy others - and all this happened before I turned 16."
I'm glad that I read this. Like I said, it was heavy, and it took me a long time to really absorb the story as I was reading. It is a brilliant, complex & fascinating story. It was enthralling to observe the happenings of several generations of a family line allowing the reader to see the consequences of individual decisions. It was fascinating to learn about history within the cultural context of a Greek immigrant family. The message was profound; We are all different, some in more obvious ways than others. Life is not always black & white, and the answers are not always easy or simple. All the more reason to love each other, I think. Good book. I definitely recommend, although not for someone who is close-minded or squeamish.
Next on my list: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
3 comments:
Oh good! I'm excited to get to this book. My current read (wild swans) is taking longer than anticipated.
Yeah, Middlesex is one of my favorite books of all time.
I'm anxious to hear your thoughts on Dave Egger's book. He definitely has a certain style of writing.
I just started East of Eden!
Ooh, we are definitely on the same page Jen. I LOVED East of Eden (finished it a few weeks ago?), and am really loving Eggers. I'm about 50 pages into it. I like his style- it's quick, quirky, unique... Makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Have you read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime? It reminds me of that book (I loved that book).
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