East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
What it is
Steinbeck's family saga of the Trasks and the Hamiltons in California's Salinas Valley, a retelling of Cain and Abel, now a Netflix series.
Why it's on the list
East of Eden is back on Amazon's most sold fiction chart more than seventy years after it was published, because a new Netflix series has sent readers back to it. It follows two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, across generations in California's Salinas Valley, and retells the story of Cain and Abel as a story about fathers, sons and the longing to be loved. It is long and sometimes brutal, but its central idea is hopeful: that people can choose who they become. A good season for a big book, and an easy one to talk about.
Popularity when chosen: #13 · Amazon Charts, Most Sold Fiction, week of 11 October 2026 (seen 19 October 2026). A sales ranking, not a review.
Chosen for 19–25 October 2026.
Edition linked: Paperback, Penguin Classics reissue, introduction by David Wyatt, 640 pages · ISBN 9780140186390.
Who this book is for
Readers who want one big, absorbing classic for the autumn, book clubs, and anyone watching the series who wants the whole story; it includes violence and family cruelty.
Where to find it
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