When I started reading this book, I felt cheated. I was annoyed that Eugenides was starting with Cal's grandparents, and that it was going to take so long to get to the real story. Nonetheless, I worked my way through 1920's Greece and into the next generation in Detroit. I found I enjoyed the journey, but still felt vaguely frustrated and eager to hear about Cal.
As Calliope/Cal's story developed, I was impressed with Eugenides' drawing of Cal's emotions. I loved this passage:
Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness", "joy", or "regret". Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies felling. I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic train-car constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy".Overall, I thought Eugenides' portrayal of Cal's awakening was masterfully done. The story seemed so realistic that I became convinced it was at least based on a true story, but apparently that is not the case.
After Calliope's 'crocus' was discovered in the emergency room, and the medical drama began with Dr. Luce, I thought the story lost some of its momentum. Cal as a runaway, hitch-hiker, and Golden Gate Park bum didn't resonate with me, and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. However, I realise that a disconnect from the personality of Calliope was at least partly intentional, to mark the transition from Calliope to Cal.
A worthy prize winner, but I think I could have done with one less generation of Stephanides'.
4 stars.
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