2022: I couldn't leave Monterey without reading at least one Steinbeck during my time here. This book definitely holds up (I mean, it's Steinbeck) but don't be surprised if you come across some extremely antiquated names / references. Steinbeck does well, being more inclusive than some of his other books ([b:The Grapes of Wrath|18114322|The Grapes of Wrath|John Steinbeck|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1375670575l/18114322._SY75_.jpg|2931549] comes to mind first), especially for 1952.

I found that I was thinking about the characters of this novel a lot while being constantly bombarded with information about the Johnny Depp v Amber Heard trial. Specifically, I think about the Cathy / Kate dynamic, as well as how abuse looks to others who are outside of the relationship. I also enjoyed that Steinbeck grounded this novel so well in reality, by not shying away from having the various wars heavily impact these families. I haven't read fiction that is so firmly in the real world in a while.

This book was my first introduction to the concept of timshel and it has powerfully stuck with me ever since: thou mayest.

2008: This was the first book that I read that had been assigned to me in school, and I was completely and utterly blown away by. Before age 16 or so, all of the books that I was reading at school were not as cool / as good / as engaging as the ones I was finding on my own. There was a real turning point for me in about sophomore year of high school, and this was the first one of the "classics" that I was 100% enthralled with.