Discussion date: December 13, 2004

What we thought:
Many of us commented that, had it not been for the book group, we would never have chosen to read this book, knowing primarily that it was about a hermaphrodite. But once we had read the first chapter, we were all hooked, and couldn't put it down. There was no sensationalism or exploitation in this novel; it was more like a Greek tragedy than a potboiler. The multi-generational history, the immigrant saga, the exploration of complex themes ranging from family relationships to racial conflict and, yes, sexual identity: this and more drew us into a continuously compelling story.

We remarked on how well the author had told his story, with wonderfully expressive and often poetic language -- and always sympathetic and non-judgmental in his portrayal of a myriad of fascinating characters.

Sometimes books that almost everyone loves don't make good books for discussion, but this one had so much going on that we never ran out of things to talk about!

By the way, none of us could figure out why Cal's brother was called Chapter Eleven. One minor criticism was that the answer (see the Guardian review cited below for an explanation) was too gimmicky, and perhaps unfair to the brother.

Nearly everyone rated the book 4, 4 1/2 or 5 stars, with just one 3-star rating by a member who liked everything except the choice of subject matter.

Links of interest:

Review in The Guardian (explains Chapter Eleven)

Interview with the author