After a long run of romantasy, we needed a breather. So for this palate cleanser episode, we picked up East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

It’s a book that feels bigger than itself—family, legacy, good and evil, the whole deal. 

We talk about what hit us, what surprised us, and how somehow this 20th-century novel about California farmers felt more intense than half the fantasy battles we’ve read.

No fae in this one. Just some deeply human stuff and a lot of thoughts we didn’t expect to have.

Sam references this article East of Eden and the Human Condition.