The magnitude of the novel and the freshness of my impressions make it hard to describe it. On the surface, it is a story about life and death in a small valley in California around the turn of the century – but how profound the narrative is! The novel seems to encompass the whole range of human emotions, values and vices – joy and sorrow, kindness and rage, courage and cowardness, self-blame and forgiveness. The book contains scenes of extreme dramatism and realistic in-depth depictions of daily life. Its tone is both light and serious, its humor at times sardonic or light-hearted.
There are a dozen or more of characters. To avoid spoilers, I will simply emphasize that each of them behaves like a human being – with their background and motives. The author reveals to us their thought process and hidden identity, and I felt that nothing was in vain, every sentence had its role, all actors were important for the plot.
I can compare East of Eden to Les Miserables – not because they are similar, by no means! But both are enciclopedias of human life. Their authors assembled them so carefully, so thoughtfully, like an architect who builds a huge cathedral – each ornament in its respective place, each detail where it should be. Not to hide any rough detail, not to cover any unpleasantness. And most importantly – a sound, robust structure at the base. What a titanic work! How hard it probably was to balance such immense amount of actions and thoughts, so at the end it all looks like a flowing river.
At the end, I want to ask a questions for those who read the book. What was your favorite character? Mine was, perhaps, Lee.
by ArthRol