1. 102
   The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (sipthereader, sturlington)
2. 81
   Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters (_debbie_)

   _debbie_: Both are (at least partially) historical novels with strong themes of identity, coming of age, and going against the mainstream to stay true to what you feel is right. Although one is set in Victorian England and the other isn't, they both have that same feel of rich language and descriptive place.… (more)

3. 81
   The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving (Othemts)

   Othemts: Multi-generational eccentric families, entrepreneurship, incest, the average made epic - yep, these books have it all!

4. 93
   The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (bookmomo)

   bookmomo: share the same exquisite sense of setting: boring, but not terrible suburban America, second half of last century.

5. 82
   A Widow for One Year by John Irving (readerbabe1984)
6. 51
   As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto (librorumamans, librorumamans)

   librorumamans: The connection of this book to Middlesex is Eugenides' character, Dr Luce, who appears to be modelled on Dr John Money of Johns Hopkins University. As Nature Made Him is a non-fiction account of Money's experimental (and unsuccessful) sex reassignment of David Reimer, whose botched infant circumcision left him genitally mutilated. Both books compellingly look at the complexity of gender identity.… (more)

7. 30
   Anywhere but Here by Mona Simpson (ainsleytewce)

   ainsleytewce: Both are very American stories, about families in the 20th century, fighting wars, starting businesses, raising families, and both feature a teenage protagonist.

8. 64
   The Human Stain by Philip Roth (sarah-e)

   sarah-e: A character 'passes' in society - dealing with culture and identity.

9. 10
   How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States by Joanne Meyerowitz (jacr)
10. 10
    The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit by Thomas J. Sugrue (jacr)

    jacr: A scholarly discussion of the decline of Detroit and its race riots. People who liked Eugenides's fictional account of Detroit might be interested in this historical version.

11. 10
    Smyrna 1922: The Destruction of a City by Marjorie Housepian Dobkin (Anonymous user)
12. 32
    Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (someproseandcons)

    someproseandcons: Both books are family and community sagas centered around secrets, and both books are carried by a strong and compelling voice.

13. 32
    The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich (ainsleytewce)

    ainsleytewce: Both begin with immigrants who come to America at approximately the same time.

14. 10
    The Hours by Michael Cunningham (sturlington)
15. 22
    Intersex: A Perilous Difference by Morgan Holmes (boat-song)

    boat-song: Contains an amazing chapter on Eugenides and Middlesex, and for those interested in gender, a must read.

16. 22
    Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (CGlanovsky)

    CGlanovsky: The destiny of an individual and a family bound up with that of a particular time and place.

17. 00
    Getting Ghost: Two Young Lives and the Struggle for the Soul of an American City by Luke Bergmann (paulkid)

    paulkid: Get a little history of Detroit from the stories of the people who lived there.

18. 00
    Sugarless by James Magruder (amberwitch)

    amberwitch: Similar topic and era

19. 11
    Labor of Love: The Story of One Man's Extraordinary Pregnancy by Thomas Beatie (infiniteletters)
20. 01
    Misfortune by Wesley Stace (ljbwell)

    ljbwell: Yes, they are quite different books, and eras, but both explore the complexity of gender & identity.

(see all 31 recommendations)