East of Eden

Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this powerful, often brutal novel, follows the intertwined destinies of two families whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. 

Here Steinbeck created some of his most memorable characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity; the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence. Memorably, made into the 1955 film that launched the short career of James Dean.