The article analyzes the perception of the Catastrophe in Asia Minor in 1922 in a novel by an American writer of Greek descent, Jeffrey Eugenides. The purpose of the article is to consider how a Greek-American author narrates and perceives cultural adaptation of his characters in their new homeland. The author scrutinizes, in particular, the relations of emigrants to historical events presented by the author. Particular attention is paid to the necessity of migration to the United States.