Play Book Tag discussion

Cain by José Saramago - 3* - My Review

Saramago retells the Biblical stories of the Old Testament by focusing on the life of Cain. The book opens with Adam and Eve, then moves on to Cain and Abel. The primary emphasis is given to Cain’s imagined wanderings once he is exiled. For example, Cain gets involved with Abraham and Isaac, the Tower of Babel, Jericho, Job, Noah, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Cain criticizes the perceived capriciousness, fallibility, and cruelty of the deity of the Old Testament.

It is written in Saramago’s distinctive style of lengthy sentences, little punctuation, and lack of capitalization of proper nouns. Saramago liberally employs satire and irony. It is obvious that he has an irreverent point of view. This book is another in the tradition of storytelling based on inspiration from ancient texts. I read this in my quest to read all of Saramago’s works. It is not his best, and I do not think this is a good starting point if you have not read him before.

José Saramago: 2020
- The Cave - 5 * - My Review
- Blindness - 4.5* - My Review
- Seeing - 4* - My Review
- The Stone Raft - 4* - My Review
- All the Names - 4* - My Review
- The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis - 4* - My Review
- The History of the Siege of Lisbon - 3* - My Review