When I had first read the back of this book, I was unsure if this was the type of book for me. The topics brought up in this novel seemed very mature, and I was hesitant to try it because I thought that the language and style of writing might be written in a similar style, thus causing me to have a difficult time reading the book. However, once I began reading I realized that this really was the book for me. The language in the novel is not difficult and the story is able to hold my interest. Even though I do not know a lot of information on the subject matter explored in this novel, I find that the book makes it easier for you to discover information on the main character's genetic condition that is entirely different from learning the condition in the textbook. The novel actually explores the life of someone with a rare condition, rather then simply stating facts about it. Details and explanations are crucial to engaging a reader into a novel, and this book seems to have it all.....
Calliope Stephanides is not like most girls. "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 Petoskey, Michigan in August of 1974." In other words, Calliope was born a hermaphrodite. Calliope introduces herself into the novel by stating this fact first, and clearly the above statement is one that surely impacted her life in many ways which will probably be mentioned later on in the novel. By stating this fact about her first, it thus shows that Calliope is not afraid to mention and discuss with people about who she is. Calliope then narrates the story and takes the reader through the journey through her life. She begins by telling about the memory she rememered hearing about the involved her grandmother three months before Calliope was born. At a typical Sunday dinner, Grandma Desdemona decides to predict the gender of the baby of Calliope's mom. Desdemona had never been wrong about the prediction, and she tells Caliope's mom that she should be expecting a boy. Calliope's mom is upset by that news because she already had a son and desperately wanted a daughter.....could Desdemonda be foreshadowing Calliope being a hermaphrodite already??
Jefferey Eugenides writing style throughout the novel is very descriptive and insightful in describing the characters and I think that having Calliope narrate the story is a good thing because that way we get to see the life of the Stephanides through her eyes and see the stuggle and hardship through her eyes. However, possibly switching narrators in this book mightbe effective for the reader as well because then that way we can see how this predicament with Calliope effects the entire family and how they all are coping with a difficult situation. Hopefully, Calliope may give us insight into the struggle her family faces with this problem as well.....
Hopefully the pacing and amount of time it takes me to finish this book will be a proper length. Often times I find that it takes me a long time to finish a book, and I am hoping that this novel is a quick paced read that will allow me to finish this book in a reasonable amount of time.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who are more mature and are interested in reading a story about a person's struggle with a life changing condition. This book may also be good for a reader who enjoys a story that is filled with a lot of description on the characters and not really a lot of plot action. The reader must also be able to want to read a book that deals with the complicated side of life and one that deals with a life long struggle. If the reader falls into any of these categories, I am certain that this will be a great book for you!
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