Defending Cain

Defending Cain is a modern retelling of the parable of Cain and Abel as a courtroom drama, sympathetic to Cain’s point of view.The allegory begins as Larry Cohen, reeling from a romantic break-up, is placed on leave from the district attorney’s office after a career-endangering court outburst. Larry hopes to relax and regain his equilibrium, and his job. But his best friend is diagnosed with cancer, and terrifying nightmares of a surreal trial make Larry bolt awake every morning at 4:16 a.m. Desperate for relief, Larry enlists Dr. Silverberger, who interprets the dreams psychologically and helps Larry begin healing from old traumas. A fatherly rabbi, however, suggests the dreams are a heaven-sent spiritual challenge that Larry should embrace. Larry doesn’t know what to believe, but as the case continues to unfold in his dreams each night, he feels compelled to prove his client’s innocence. In daylight hours he struggles to assemble a legal strategy, even while doubting his sanity. Because in this nightmarish court, he is defending the biblical Cain, and even a child knows Cain is guilty of murdering his brother, Abel.Larry’s imaginative defense of Cain symbolically mirrors his own journey through therapy, spiritual exploration and the unexpected twists and turns of the nighttime court proceedings. Defending Cain culminates in a nuanced resolution, allowing the reader to ponder whether the dreams were a manifestation of Larry’s subconscious conflicts or a challenge from a heavenly realm.