How the Light Gets In vs Middlesex: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Suburban life, Teenage Girls, Bildungsromans, Fiction
How the Light Gets In
A powerful debut from an Australian novelist that features one of the most likeable but contrary figures you are likely to meet in contemporary fiction. Lou Connor, a gifted, unhappy sixteen-year-old, is desperate to…
vs
Middlesex
A unique coming of age story. While the main character in this novel is dealing with gender identity issues the main focus of this brilliantly written story is the confusion we all face as we grow into the person we…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- How the Light Gets In is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 10 for Middlesex.
- Middlesex has the widest readership — 672018 ratings behind its score.
- Middlesex runs the darker storyline; How the Light Gets In stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
How the Light Gets In
≈ 6h vs 10h for Middlesex
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Middlesex
672018 ratings vs 7084 for How the Light Gets In
In the mood for something dark?
Middlesex
a darker storyline than How the Light Gets In
Want something lighter?
How the Light Gets In
an easier tone than Middlesex
Scores by source
| How the Light Gets In | Middlesex | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (7084) | 4.0 (672018) |
| Hardcover | 4.4 (94) | 4.1 (528) |
| Google Books | — | 1.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (1259) |
Reception
| How the Light Gets In | Middlesex | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7084 | 672018 |
| Editions | 10 | 57 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 520279 |
| Reading it now | — | 14245 |
| Written reviews | — | 29329 |
| Wikipedia attention | 28 | 10091 |
| Pages | 329 | 544 |