by David Guterson
You can taste the saltwater in the air, in this
compelling story that is so much more than a
murder-mystery
Reviewed by: Helen Harvey
About Helen Harvey
Winner of the 1995 PEN Faulkner Award for Fiction,
David Guterson's first novel transports the reader
back to the 1950's, where sinister jealousy,
bitterness, and racism conspire in a plot that sees a
dignified Japanese-American, Kabuo Miyamoto, standing
trial for the murder of a fisherman. Set on San
Piedro, a rugged, yet beautiful, island in Puget
Sound, the courtroom drama is woven delicately
together with flashbacks detailing a love story, and
social commentary of the injustices faced by some
members of the community in the shadow of the
atrocities of WWII.
As this undeniably slow, but graceful, novel unfolds
the harsh environment and violent snowstorm are echoed
within the walls of the courtroom as evidence
conflicts and consciences aroused. As one reads, it
can be argued that some details are irrelevant and
unnecessary, and that the story strays too far from
the trial. Yet, it is only upon finishing the book
that you realize that everything was entirely
necessary, and added to the overall beauty and
poignancy of the tale, which kept you reading until
the very end for the verdict.
Was there a moral to the story? Perhaps, the raw
portrayal of the painful subject of the treatment of
Japanese Americans was really what this book was all
about, as ill-conceived prejudice threatened to ensure
that justice was not done.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Snow Falling On Cedars
Copyright © by Helen Harvey, 2002
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