East of Eden

This book was recommended to me when I mentioned to a friend that I search for a page-turner with depth. And boy did this book deliver. I found it gripping and now that I completed it I'm deeply fascinated by this book and tempted to start right over. East of Eden follows the story of two families and artfully layers complex ideas of inter generational guilt, free will, relationships, and moral ambiguity in a way I rarely seen before. Yes, this book takes inspiration from the biblical story of Cain and Abel but that is merely scaffolding and provides a philosophical framework to think deeper about the questions it asks. Steinbeck writes beautiful prose that gave me quote after quote I did not want to forget. He created rich images in my mind, it felt like every word had purpose.