The book is written as the autobiography of Calliope Stephanides. "Callie" is raised as a girl, because the aging family friend and doctor who delivers her fails to look closely enough to realize Callie is not entirely female. Her family and even Callie herself don't realize anything is amiss until she hits puberty, when her decidedly male parts and physical features begin to grow more prominent. Meanwhile, Callie tells us the story of how this recessive genetic defect came to manifest itself within her, starting with her grandparents in Greece and ending with the decision of whether to live her life as a man, a woman, or as both.
This book was an Oprah pick AND a Pulitzer Prize winner, so I had high expectations. I wouldn't say it was my favorite book ever, but it was very good. When I think about what a strange, foreign character Callie seems to be upon description, I am amazed at how real she was in the story. I'm also amazed at how quickly 500+ pages flew by. I would classify this book as "literary but accessible", and I could see recommending it to fans of Michael Chabon or John Irving.
P.S. The book's title refers to both her childhood home and her state of gender.
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