Steinbeck has been a favorite author of mine since I read Of Mice and Men in high school. Since moving to California it has been a treat to read more of his books and to connect the landscapes he writes about with an area that we are gradually becoming familiar with. I have been reading East of Eden off and on over the last two months and finished it earlier today. In East of Eden, Steinbeck delves deeply into the concepts of good and evil. Good and evil appear to be relatively clearly defined initially in the book but as the story develops it becomes more and more clear that those boundaries are fuzzy; characters conceived of in one way early on change markedly over the course of the novel. Throughout I really enjoyed the writing but was put off initially by some of the characters who felt a bit two dimensional. Steinbeck's approach is very deliberate throughout though and the apparent clarity early on sets the stage for what follows. I realize I sound a bit like a literary critic here but am simply trying to give the gist without giving anything away. Definitely recommended.
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