Books Like East of Eden

Some actions and choices have repercussions that extend through time and can affect future generations. This is a topic that has fascinated authors and provided readers with fascinating multi-generation stories. Long-buried secrets can become unearthed and haunt future generations, while family trauma can extend through the generations. One of the most popular multi-generation novels is East of Eden by John Steinbeck, which the author himself considered to be his magnum opus. The novel is set between the start of the twentieth century and the end of the first world war while following the lives of two families. For more novels featuring the personal stories of people that span multiple generations, check out the following books like East of Eden.

We Are All Good People Here

by Susan Rebecca White

We Are All Good People Here by Susan Rebecca White is a multi-generation novel about the complex relationship between two very different women as well as the secrets inherited by their daughters. The story spans 30 years and starts in the fall of 1962 as Eve Whalen meets Daniella Gold when they become roommates in college. Eve is the privileged child of an old-money Atlanta family, while Daniella was raised in Georgetown by a Jewish father and Methodist mother. Despite their differences, the two became fast friends and became involved with the civil rights movement. However, differences in their approach to fighting against social injustice cause them to take different paths in life. The story also shifts to their daughters in later chapters.

The Thorn Birds

by Colleen McCullough

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough is one of the best-selling books in Australian history and is set primarily on a fictional sheep station in the Outback. The novel focuses on three generations of the Cleary family as they try to carve a living from the beautiful yet rugged land. Meghann Cleary, the only daughter in a family of sons, is the central character, and the story follows her from early childhood to old age. During this time, the family experiences struggle and strife as well as love and sacrifice.

The House of the Spirits

by Isabel Allende

The House of the Spirits was first published in 1982 and is the debut novel of Isabel Allende. The story follows three generations of the Trueba family and mostly follows the perspectives of patriarch Esteban and his granddaughter Alba. The two attempt to piece together their family’s story using journals kept for fifty years by Clara del Valle, Esteban’s wife and Alba’s grandmother.

The Son

by Philipp Meyer

The Son is a 2013 novel by Philipp Meyer that follows three generations of the McCullough family. It opens in the 1800s with twelve-year-old Eli McCullough being taken captive by the Comanche, who kills his mother and sisters after storming their Texas homestead. Eli survives against all odds and adapts to life with the Comanche until they are decimated, and he is once again left alone in a world in which he belongs nowhere. The Son also tells the story of Peter, Eli’s son, and JA, his great-granddaughter.

The Ice-Cream Makers

by Ernest van der Kwast

The Ice-Cream Makers by Ernest van der Kwast is the multigenerational story of an Italian family whose lives are centered around ice cream. Giovanni Talamini is heir to a proud Northern Italian ice-cream dynasty, but like his father before him, his passions lie elsewhere. Yet, unlike his father, who took over the family business despite wanting to be an inventor, Giovanni breaks with tradition and chooses to travel the world as a poet instead. Unfortunately, this causes him to become estranged from his family while his brother, Luca, takes over the business. However, when Giovanni receives an unexpected call from his brother, he has to choose between staying on his own path in life or returning home to serve his family’s interests.

Who Does She Think She Is?

by Benilde Little

Who Does She Think She Is? by Benilde Little is the story of three generations of African American women. The youngest, Aisha Branch, ends up falling for another man while in the middle of planning for her elaborate wedding. Aisha ends up ditching her wealthy, white fiancé in favor of Miles, a successful black man who happens to be the business associate of the man who would have been her father-in-law. But, of course, the ensuing drama stirs up old feelings in her mother, Camille, and grandmother, Geneva, who have their own stories about their lives and relationships to tell.

Fall On Your Knees

by Ann-Marie McDonald

Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie McDonald chronicles the lives of five generations of the Piper Family. The novel opens at the start of the 20th century with a piano tuner named James Piper eloping with Materia Mahmoud, the 13-year-old daughter of wealthy, traditional Lebanese parents. Materia has four daughters with James, but the lives of the Piper family are steeped in secrets, lies, and unspoken truths.

Salt Houses

by Hala Alyan

Salt Houses by Hala Alyan follows three generations of the Yacoubs, a middle-class Palestinian family. Each chapter features the perspective of a different family member as the tale progresses through the years and events like the Six-Day War, Gulf War, and the 2006 Lebanon War. As the family becomes displaced by war, the novel examines the effects that being forcefully uprooted has on multiple generations.