Hypospadias. 5-alpha-reductase deficiency syndrome. XY karyotype. Dihydrotestosterone. Gynecomastia. Male pseudohermaphrodite.

Incest. Anxiety. Fear. Rejection. Transition. War. Family. Life. Courage. Acceptance. Love. Death.

This is "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides. It is a novel that spans three generations. It is a novel told in the voice of Calliope/Cal Stephanides, destined to be one of the most engaging storytellers in literature. It is a novel that rather "normalizes" the things that the society deems abnormal. It is a novel that shouldn't be cracked open in the middle of the night lest you get bloodshot eyes.

I've never read anything that is medical, lyrical, cunning, and humorous all at the same time. What's so amazing about this novel is that you get an insight of a hermaphrodite's life without feeling that he/she is one at all. That people could actually sexually stare at them just by their mere presence. That their teenage infatuations and struggles are basically similar with anyone else's. That they are capable of doing and feeling anything anyone feels. That they are normal people who could actually lead normal lives.

It is so compelling that it had a temporary power to shift my unbreakable principles even for just a fleeting moment. For once, I didn't cringe at the thought of incest. Rather, I felt the longing to be loved against the contradictions of the society.

And the teenage years. Eugenides is so capable of capturing those feelings contained during those years. The fear, anguish, longing, and imagined love that fill those years are so palpable that you sometimes end up having your own palpitations caused by such memories.

Especially rejection. I am one of those people who never enjoyed my pubertal stage. It was a phase filled with raging hormones, pimples, angst, depression, sexual struggle, and other things with common denominators. During those years, I always felt displaced. When I was younger, I was revered for being the kid who was always on the top of his class. No one dared to lay a dirty finger on me. I was enjoying such power at school during those times.

And high school came.

I saw my position plummet down. I was quickly segregated away from the popular group. I was there at the lower rungs, consoling myself with other has-been's. This phase of my life sped by, barely noticed and recognized by people of my same age bracket. Just like Calliope. Just like a person in a limbo. Just like a person struggling with gender identity. Just like a hermaphrodite.

Hermaphrodite is synonymous with the word monster. I remember the days when I used to feel like one, thanks to this monster of a novel. "Middlesex" comes that close to reality.