Jeffrey Eugenides

 

The Marriage Plot

The title of this novel alludes to a much-used trope, and it is the subject of English major Madeleine’s undergraduate thesis, but the arc of Madeleine’s marriage to Leonard is studded with unexpected turns of events. The novel’s wry treatment of privilege and its facetious commentary on studying critical theory at an Ivy League university are juxtaposed with a serious examination of what it means to live with manic depression.

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Middlesex

Middlesex is a sprawling tale of a Greek-American family. It spans decades, from the Greco-Turkish War to 1920’s bootlegging and the Detroit riots of 1967. It features Cal, who is intersex but is raised as a girl. Our understanding of gender identity versus biological sex has evolved since 2002 when the novel was published, yet Eugenides makes an eloquent and important contribution to the conversation.