Thought Train to Pusan

I’m not sure where to begin with Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex , simply because there is so much to it: spanning across the story of three generations in a family, the story takes place over many years, as the protagonist, Cal, recounts how he came to be, and how his life shaped who he is now through a long history of family and discovery. We begin in 1922 in Greece, where Cal’s grandparents first begin their relationship under intense shame due to the fact that they are siblings. When their town is attacked by Turkey, they choose to flee to America and begin a new life there, chasing the American dream but also to leave the secrets of their relationship behind them. From here we follow Cal’s grandparents as they begin their American lives and have children, who then go on to have Cal and his brother. However, throughout Cal’s tale we are well aware from the beginning that Cal is intersex, yet this was unknown to his family and birth, therefore causing him to be rais...