101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion

Middlesex

I hope I am not violating some rule of this group by starting this discussion. I am relying on the adage that it is easier to apologize than get permission. I hope that there is nothing seriously wrong with our mods. It is certainly not like them to fail to start a discussion thread at the start of the month. So, since we are now half way through December, I hope that this will be seen as helpful rather than problematic that I took the initiative.

What are your thoughts of Middlesex as you read through the novel?

Eugenides gives us a cast of characters that inhabit an in-between state, living in some world where they are both/and or neither/nor. From the relationship of the grandparents' relationship as both siblings and spouses to the parents' status as neither Greek nor typical American, from the narrator to Fr. Mike, these folks straddle some middle ground. What do you think Eugenides is trying to say? How do you relate to these situations? Does all of us occupy some in-between state (although less dramatically) or are these characters anomalies?

Did you find any actions by the characters to be shocking? Does learning of these more contraversial actions in the context of the story make things more acceptable or not?

Did you like or dislike, relate to or draw away from any character? What did you make of Jimmy's life?

I look forward to discussing this novel with others in this group. I loved it. I thought the writing was brilliant.

Irene wrote: "I hope I am not violating some rule of this group by starting this discussion. I am relying on the adage that it is easier to apologize than get permission. I hope that there is nothing seriously..."

Thanks Irene. I am very sorry. I have been in the middle of a series of big events. Nothing tragic. Just busy. I am so glad you started this thread.

Irene wrote: "What are your thoughts of Middlesex as you read through the novel?

Eugenides gives us a cast of characters that inhabit an in-between state, living in some world where they are both/and or neither..."

Those are great discussion topics, Irene. I am about halfway through Part I and hope to add to the discussion as I digest more of this book. I am impressed by the way the characters stories are interwoven together and there is this overarching theme whereby no one fits neatly into any particular category, but rather that they occupy some middle ground.

I am so glad that you are all right, Jennifer. I was hoping that it was simply the busyness of life and/or the holidays. I look forward to your thoughts as you read a bit more into the book. As you move through part 1, I would love to know what you think of Lefty and Desdamona.

My copy just arrived! Will be starting this soon.

Irene wrote: "I am so glad that you are all right, Jennifer. I was hoping that it was simply the busyness of life and/or the holidays. I look forward to your thoughts as you read a bit more into the book. As ..."

I will hopefully be posting some thoughts tomorrow. This is such a well-written book.

Hoping that everyone is enjoying December's read. I can't seem to put this book down. It's so deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.

Agreed

Some thoughts on this month's read.

I thought that the author did a superior job by taking on a novel topic with a view to creating some form of human understanding and empathy as opposed to writing about the topic for shock value. Calliope was a very likeable and sympathetic character.

The author made excellent use of literary tools to create a sense of empathy in the reader. The use of the immigrant family as a metaphor for the experience of Calliope was brilliantly done. I think that any reader should be able to draw upon an experience where he or she just didn't feel that they belonged or that they fit nicely into any particular box.

I further liked the use of the racial tension in Detroit in this book. At one point I think Cal was speaking about Desdemona when she said that perhaps she had lived in Detroit so long that she now thought like everyone in else in terms of black or white. It serves as a reminder to everyone of a tendency to think in dichotomies, when in reality life is more complex than that.

As someone who grew up across the river from Detroit, albeit at a later time period than this book, I thoroughly enjoyed the historical and geographical context in which the novel was situated.

I thought that the book was at once enlightening, tragic, and full of optimism and hope. It's amazing what adversities an individual can overcome with a loving and supportive family

And, yet, we see that our narrator continues to struggle with self-image and relationship issues in the current sections. So, no matter how much one can adjust, overcome, cope, there is still baggage to carry.

Absolutely. It is clear that Calliope/Cal has continued to suffer from loneliness and displacement throughout his adult life. But I guess that in some sense I am amazed that he hasn't lost hope and is still able to give a relationship a chance at the age of forty-two. I am inclined to think that most people would not be that resilient without some sort of family support, which also provides the main character with some sense of continuity in an otherwise very fractured existence.

I was also very horrified by the doctor's handling of the situation wherein he did not provide full disclosure/information to either Cal or the parents. While I can see why he thought he was acting in his patient's best interests, I cannot help but frown on such paternalism.

Jennifer wrote: "Absolutely. It is clear that Calliope/Cal has continued to suffer from loneliness and displacement throughout his adult life. But I guess that in some sense I am amazed that he hasn't lost hope and..."


I am struck by the contrast between the final scene as he stands guard at his parents' home which seems to symolize a strong sense of belonging, a reflection of the support that welcomed him back so easily and his current day narration which seems to have him wandering in foreign lands, as someone perminently displaced and not belonging anywhere, not belonging to anyone. One more example of that middle ground that is everywhere in this novel? I also wonder about how he will process the death of his father. His father dies as a direct result of the family not knowing what happened to him. Had he sent a post card or made a phone call just to say that he was alive and fine, the kidnapping plot would never have worked. Had that been my family of origin, I anticipate that I would have been blamed for this death immediately after I had arrived. I am surprised that no one seems to lay that guilt on him.

While I can't comment on the complete book, I have finished Book 1 & Book 2 and the novel is still mired in the back story. While somewhat entertaining, I can't help but think some editing would tighten this up.

The middle ground theme is definitely pervasive throughout this book. Even Jimmy Zizmo finds himself occupying middle ground, albeit somewhat voluntarily, when he takes on the persona of Fard.

However, I suppose Sourmelina is somewhat different, in that though she starts off as occupying some middle ground as an immigrant to America, by the end of the novel, she appears to have gone through a complete metamorphosis to find herself completely Americanized in sharp contrast to Desdemona.

One of the other interesting aspects of the novel is the way in which Cal's doctor deals with his diagnosis, which I think that many would conclude would be unethical by today's standards.

Although Lina may have adapted more readily to her new cultural home, she steps into another some what middle ground, lesbian lover and mother.

I had a strong negative reaction to the way the medical exams were portrayed. I felt as if I was reading a description of sexual exploitation. We see her spreading her legs and several men looking at her, dropping her robe and being photographed. In fact, later when we see the narrator performing the underwater nude dance, he says that it was his experience with the medical world that had desensitized him, allowing him to accept this new role. I found it particularly horrible considering that she was a young adolescent with no sexual experience and significant body image problems. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of her struggle, more embarrassment or discomfort. For a book that does not spare the details, the author rushed us from the first office visit to her dropping her robe and spreading her legs in record time. It felt as if the author was uncomfortable getting inside the head of this young girl at this point or unable to verbalize the experience.

I was also shocked that the doctor took what Cal said at face value. His recommended treatment was based upon what Cal told him, and his recommndation was given hastily, after only two short weeks. There was not enough time to build trust between the two. Why would he assume that Cal was being completely honest with him?

Also the part about the doctor making his patient watch pornography was also disturbing. His assumption that Cal would find either the men or the women a "turn-on" in that context was irritating.

I felt the same.

I felt the novel was an especially tender & poignant story. The experience of Cal(lie) would be terrifying and traumatic.

Irene & Jennifer: Some great critiques above. Part of the issue would be the infancy of understanding the inter-sex individual.

Yes, Mike, I thought that this novel communicated well the novelty of the science surrounding the study of hermaphrodites. I also think that the objectification of the patience was a credible attitude of the medical professionals of the day, even if I don't think that one has to understand the condition to understand the humanity of the young adolescent being treated. My criticism was the way the author rushed through the attitude shift in our young narrator. We see her lying to avoid a visit to an ob-gyn for the first time because of her shame. We see her elaborate stratagies to avoid even her best friend seeing her naked. We were allowed to feel her shame and confusion. But, next thing, we see her hopping onto the exam table, legs spread as multiple male doctors stare at her source of shame, dropping her robe as a male photographer takes shots of her spread eagle. We never witnessed the squirming, the embarrassment, the psychic discomfort. It is possible that the trauma of being objectified contributed to the decision to run away without even trying a conversation with her mother, but we are given no textual reason to conclude that, just our own perception of human beings.

Irene wrote: "Yes, Mike, ..."
Thanks Irene, this is a great point. Being a male, some of this female subtlety of the embarrassment of one's body and invasive medical examinations is lost on me. I think one of my criticisms of the novel was the enormous time spent building the back story while rushing through the current story. We see nothing of the transition back into Cal's old life & family.

All said, a moving and powerful story.

I agree. I felt a real disconnect between the short pieces from the narrator's current life and the young man standing guard at the front door while the family attends the funeral. Had the book not included the current moments, I would have found that ending point satisfactory. But, the narrator did not quite feel like the young man of 14 or however old he was at the end.

A little behind on this one, but I'm starting it now, about 1/3 of the way in.

Parts on it I love and could read on and on... there's the are the other parts that I feel don't add anything and just take up extra pages for no purpose... hoping we stick on with more of the first part!!

Irene wrote: "Had that been my family of origin, I anticipate that I would have been blamed for this death immediately after I had arrived. I am surprised that no one seems to lay that guilt on him.
"

I was thinking the very same thing Irene

I'm finished and just read through the previous discussion. I agree on several topics. The first half was a little mired in back story- I felt I wasn't AS interested in the first half, but once we got to the story with the Object it quickly picked up speed.

There were many parts that I still question. How did our narrator end up in Berlin?

I felt terrible for Milton-- poor guy just trying to pull his family back together and ends up not even knowing how it all ends. Desdemona and Lefty's relationship made me cringe. I was glad that Desdemona for her part seemed to know that it was wrong on some level. I just can't imagine 2 generations inter-marrying in the 1970s. I thought it was interesting how the narrator portrayed Lina and Jimmy. Most intriguing couple- and I was surprised when Jimmy showed up again as Fard.

Writing was brilliant and I can easily see why this book should be read by everyone.

Oh and why did he refer to his brother as Chapter 11? Did I miss something?

Britany wrote: "Oh and why did he refer to his brother as Chapter 11? Did I miss something?"

The brother drove the family business into bankruptcy.

Mike, thanks for that explanation. I had been wondering the same thing about the brother's name.

ahhhhh SO clever! I can't believe I missed that one too...

I couldn't figure that one out either. LOL. Thanks Mike.

So after finally getting around to it, here are my thoughts on this one:

The basic story is incredibly compelling and out of the ordinary. The historical aspects of Greece, Detroit, the study of hermaphroditism, etc, were all very interesting. The writing, as Mike said, I think needed some editing. It felt like what it was--a male author trying to imagine being a young female. All of young Callie's upbringing and especially her transition to a male, all felt flat and unemotional. Honestly, the scenes with the "Object" just felt like the male author had some weird fantasies he wanted to play out in a forum he wouldn't be judged for it. (At least he had the sensitivity to call her an "Object," something that women have been accusing men [often justly] of thinking about them for millennia anyway). It was almost like George R. R. Martin without the excess violence. Yes, I know it's a coming of age story done in a whole new way, but Cal's depth of knowledge of all his grandparents' sexual exploits, then those of his parents, before finally getting to her/his own during puberty.... what was the reasoning behind that? I get that we're trying to get into the characters to see why they act the way they do, but this omniscience was just odd. Or is that the idea, that Cal is an unreliable narrator, imagining what everyone is thinking along the way, while he's trying to come to understand himself?

I liked it overall, I like the questions it raises, the cultural/gender/generational identities it questions, etc. These are all very valid topics. But somehow it just didn't all fit together as a story for me. It could have been 4+ stars, but I just can't go that high. 3.5 maybe.