Cain / Jose Saramago 159 p.

This was my first experience with Saramago. It was a bit of a disappointment, coming as it did after long conversations with someone who insisted in a smoky whisper, "You must read Saramago," as if my very life depended on it. Here Saramago re-tells several key stories from scripture (I believe mostly Genesis), from the point of view of Cain who wanders through time and space after being condemned for killing his brother Abel. I found it artful rather than insightful; that is, it hardly seems original (or daring) to say that the God of those stories appears capricious and cruel. Still, the writing itself has an elegance which I enjoyed, and I'm sure to read more at some point.