Book Review - "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides

This was an excellent book. It combined a wonderful story with the history of the Greek-Turkish wars, the Greek immigrant experience, the Detroit riots, and everything in between.

The story is told in a unique voice - I guess it would be called first person omniscient. The protagonist Calliope/Cal Stephanides begins the narrative with the story of Lucky and Desdemona in Turkish ruled Greece and winds through the family's unique history.

A complicated tale that has the potential to be dark, disturbing and tragic is rendered humorous at times by the wonderful characters that inhabit the story's world. The last third of the book however gets sadder as the main character has to face the reality of her genetics.

The character development is fantastic as you see the characters evolve themselves and with each other. Greek traditions add humor and charm, while science provides the intensity and drama.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to get engrossed in a great story and learn about history and culture - all in an extremely accessible writing style.