The "5-alpha-reductase deficiency" that affects Cal is traced back through three generations of the Stephanides family, starting with a secret incestuous relationship in a Greek village.
The protagonist is born and raised as a girl in 1960s Detroit before discovering a genetic mutation that leads to a male identity later in life. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Pdf
The narrator who looks back on their life from adulthood in Berlin. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Pdf
For academic depth, Study.com provides historical context on the burning of Smyrna and Detroit’s race riots. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Pdf