“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” —Lee to Abra

Welcome back to East of Eden—the end! In this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss all the “timshel” moments that lead to the final blessing, for Cal, and for us all. They talk about the Great Conversation happening here at the end of the story with Alice in Wonderland, and Meditations. They discuss smallness, greatness, and accepting one’s story as it is. They talk about control, and our lack of it; about taking responsibility for wrongs versus the cheap self-indulgence of being vulnerable and right-sized with the world. It’s a Wonderful Life and Rhea making peace with Cherry Valance. Basically, they discuss all that is east of Eden.

R&W’s final book for 2025 will be Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. Below is the breakdown of the readings:

* December 16: Parts 1 - 2 (pp. 3-109)

* December 23: Part 3 - some of Part 4 (pp. 113-214)

* December 30: Rest of 4 - Part 6 (pp. 214-303)

Finally, if you haven’t yet listened, be sure to check out R&W’s 2026 Big Draw Episode, where Rhea and Shari drew and decided on all they will be reading next year!

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you liked this post, give it some ❤️ and share it with someone.

The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the literary work we’re doing, become a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe