East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fiction suggested by Verna
from Amazon – Set in the rich farmland of California’s Salinas Valley, this sprawling and often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families—the Trasks and the Hamiltons—whose generations helplessly reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel.
[Steinbeck explores] his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love’s absence.