Description
Book SynopsisAfter killing his brother Abel, Cain must wander for ever. He witnesses Noah's ark, the destruction of the Tower of Babel, Moses and the golden calf. He is there in time to save Abraham from sacrificing Isaac when God's angel arrives late after a wing malfunction.
Written in the last years of Saramago's life, Cain wittily tackles many of the moral and logical non sequiturs created by a wilful, authoritarian God, forming part of Saramago's long argument with God and recalling his provocative novel The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.
Trade ReviewThere are some very funny moments in this reimagining of the story of Adam and Eve's fratricidal son... Hats must be doffed once again to Margaret Jull Costa, Saramago's fearless long-time translator, for taming his punctuation-free prose, rendering it not only readable, but enjoyable, and for bringing the late Portuguese author's often challenging work to a worldwide readership * Financial Times *
José Saramago's final novel is an inventory of God's less noble moments...as flawed and wonderful a place to inhabit as the world his cosmic nemesis created * Sunday Herald *
Every page of this novella, translated with a fluent and light touch by Margaret Jull Costa, has its charm. Every page raises difficult questions...as the final testament of Portuguese master, it is suitably disturbing and a pleasure to read * Scotsman *
Saramago's breathless prose, expertly rendered into English by Margaret Jull Costa...conveys the sheer enjoyment of a writer bowing out at the top of his form * Sunday Times *
Cain reminds us why Saramago's work remains vitally important * Metro *
