a_lissa 's review for:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
dark reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
fundamentally this book is about the struggle each person has against their nature to become the person they wish to be. it’s a weird book focused around a weird concept—a psychopathic woman who chooses to be a prostitute to exploit men to the best of her ability, and the results of her actions. It is simultaneously a fictitious telling of Steinbeck’s Salina’s Valley through its interactions with Kate, a beautiful homage to Salinas, and a retelling of the story of Cain and Abel—through which Steinbeck explores the final themes of individual capacity to be good and change who we become.

This book is an epic, Steinbeck’s capturing of how he views humanity, individual morality, and his love letter to his birthplace. 

It is also a product of its time, containing horrific racism against native americans, harmful stereotypes of chinese immigrants, scenes of non-consensual sex in both adults and children, pedophilia, and is just generally outdated. There are a lot of heavy themes of suicidal thoughts/ideation, and  of suicide. It a very sex/sexuality-focused book, although without explicit sexual scenes.
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