The Short Version
If you loved East of Eden, you probably want more big family sagas, brothers and fathers, and books that wrestle with good and evil. Here are six to read next, no spoilers.
The Grapes Of Wrath
Number one: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, from nineteen thirty nine. The Joad family leaves the Oklahoma Dust Bowl for California, hoping for work and finding something much harder.
It’s Steinbeck’s other masterpiece, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. Same California, same big heart, more anger. If you only pick one, pick this.
The Brothers Karamazov
Number two: The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, from eighteen eighty. Three very different brothers, one terrible father, and a murder.
It’s the great novel about fathers, sons and free will, the same questions Lee and Samuel argue about over their whiskey. It’s demanding, but it’s worth it.
One Hundred Years Of Solitude
Number three: One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, from nineteen sixty seven. Seven generations of the Buendía family in the town of Macondo, where history keeps repeating itself.
If the idea of a family doomed to replay the same story fascinated you, this is the one, with a lot more magic.
Gilead
Number four: Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, from two thousand four. An old preacher in Iowa writes a long letter to his young son, about his own father, his grandfather, and grace.
It’s quieter than East of Eden, but it’s the closest match for the father and son theme. It also won the Pulitzer.
Lonesome Dove
Number five: Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry, from nineteen eighty five. Two retired Texas Rangers drive a herd of cattle from Texas to Montana.
It has the same epic scale and the same American West, and characters you’ll miss when it ends.
Pachinko
Number six: Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee, from twenty seventeen. Four generations of a Korean family living in Japan, from the early nineteen hundreds to the late eighties.
If you loved the generational sweep and the way choices echo through a family, this is the modern pick.
How To Choose
So, how to choose? Want more Steinbeck? The Grapes of Wrath. Want brothers and free will? The Brothers Karamazov. Want a family repeating itself? One Hundred Years of Solitude. Want fathers and sons, quietly? Gilead. Want the American West? Lonesome Dove. Want a modern saga? Pachinko.
Your Turn
Tell me in the comments: what’s the best family saga you’ve ever read? My review, ending explained and book versus series video are linked below.
