#1: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Actually, I read most of East of Eden in 2008, but I didn’t finish the last 100 pages until 2009, so…it’s a straddler, but I’m following the rules and counting it in the year I turned the last page. Anyway, Steinbeck considered East of Eden his masterpiece, and even though I’ve only read one other book of his and a short story, I can pretty much guarantee that it is, even though it was The Grapes of Wrath that won the Pulitzer. A retelling of the first stories of Genesis (Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, etc.), the book is sometimes obvious in its parallels, but nevertheless it is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant, thoughtful novel that was an actual joy to read. Kathy Ames and Cal were my favorite characters, though, and that worries me. I also had a little “you-are-there reading” moment when I was driving through the Altamont Pass last week; it’s not Salinas, but it’s close enough, and it was really stirring.
