East of Eden

by John Steinbeck · 1952

East of Eden is John Steinbeck’s emotionally charged, multigenerational saga set in California’s Salinas Valley. The novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—through love, rivalry, and redemption, echoing the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck called it his "first book" and a work of biblical scope, centered on the Hebrew word timshel ("thou mayest"), declaring that humans can choose to overcome evil.