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A review by millsjeff
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
It’s disingenuous to present this as the story of an intersex person. This is a standard American immigrant saga narrated by an intersex member of the family. Eugenides makes a great case for why books such as these should not be written by cishet men.
Desdemona, the grandmother, is the most interesting and developed character and even she is sidelined with nothing to do but paint in broad strokes for a middle quarter of the work. Her medium? Overworked metaphors.
Admittedly, I like the ideas. I like the plotting. I found myself struggling to engage with the prose. I found myself struggling to laugh at any of the jokes.
What was surely a mold breaking work 20 years ago is now little more than something to cringe at. Trite, twee, and a bit smarmy. I wanted to see how it unspooled, but rolled my eyes for much of the journey.
Desdemona, the grandmother, is the most interesting and developed character and even she is sidelined with nothing to do but paint in broad strokes for a middle quarter of the work. Her medium? Overworked metaphors.
Admittedly, I like the ideas. I like the plotting. I found myself struggling to engage with the prose. I found myself struggling to laugh at any of the jokes.
What was surely a mold breaking work 20 years ago is now little more than something to cringe at. Trite, twee, and a bit smarmy. I wanted to see how it unspooled, but rolled my eyes for much of the journey.