I don't get it. What didn't you all like about it? When people criticize a book by saying, "I didn't like the writing," that's kind of a tautology, isn't it? So why didn't you like it?
Were you expecting something different? I gather Jaimey was -- it's not really a novel about an intersexed person, but about an American immigrant family, told by the grandchild of the original immigrants. I guess that appeals to me, having plenty of stories of immigration in my own family history.
If you didn't like this, what kind of literature do you prefer? I thought it was in a similar class as a number of other Pulitzer winners, such as the three previous ones, "Empire Falls," "Kavalier and Clay," and the short story collection "Interpreter of Maladies." I found K&C a bit tedious toward the end, and Empire Falls somewhat less memorable a story. "Middlesex" is much less bitter than EF and K&C. It's rather different that IoM, mostly because that's a collection, but it shares some of the broad geographical and cultural reach.
The writing is quite distinctive. It's not Faulkner or Hemingway or Roth or Morrison or Proulx or McCarthy. It's bright and optimistic and playful and self-consciously embellished. That is, it reflects the personality of the main protagonist, Cal, from whose point of view the story is told. I thought the beginning, the sordid and ridiculous tale of an incestuous Greek hillbilly love affair, was a hoot. The only real letdown for me was the less convincing portrayal of Cal's life shortly after leaving home.
I certainly agree that some books are all hype -- first on my list would be "The DaVinci Code," which read like cheap knock-off of Tom Clancy, even less plausible, far more predictable, and repetitive. I could name a dozen thrillers I liked a lot better. But in the genre of contemporary American literary fiction about more-or-less ordinary folks, it ranks above most. It's certainly one of the more memorable books I've read in the last decade or so. As far as Oprah, well, she's picked some good books and some bad ones. I don't trust her any more or less than, say, anyone who's responded to this thread. But I do tend to trust the judgment of the Pulitzer Prize committee to pick books that I'll enjoy.
Oh, what the heck, check it out of the library, give it a go, and return it if you don't like it.
(p.s. That's just my $.02 or perhaps a bit more. I hope that didn't sound combative -- I just liked this book, and so I like talking about it, though it's certainly not a masterpiece of Western literature, and I'm genuinely curious about criticisms people have.)
