As a writer, what was the particular draw of the Cain and Abel story?
I’m not the first person to be drawn to Cain putting Abel in the ground. In the 1950s there was one of those odd moments in history I’m fond of, when American literature became obsessed with the story – all the way from East of Eden down to the pulps. There’s something about the simplicity of the story that is horrifying: Cain and Abel both offer up sacrifices to the Lord, and when Cain’s is rejected he slays his brother in what seems an act of revenge. You could spend a lifetime reading and investigating a thousand different readings of that simple story – is it really an ancient parable about the death of hunting societies and the growth in agriculture? – but, for me, the heart of the story is hard to deny: on the surface a motiveless crime has been committed – history’s first ever murder – but, simmering under the surface, there’s an eruption of jealous emotion. Cain is Abel’s brother, they share so much in life and looks and history – and yet, it is Abel who is smiled upon by their
