A book about an island and the people who live there. Who have lived there. Who were all affected by World War Two. Because some of the islanders are American and some are Japanese. And no matter what relationships they might have had before the war .. they were all dramatically changed because of it. Someone dies, and it is believed to be a homicide instead of an accident. A Japanese man is charged and all the history between their two families is brought to the surface, in such a way that the truth is eventually discovered, as well as reasons a murder would be believed by so many.
Guterson does a wonderful job of weaving past with present. Chapters flow in and out of each other, as well as relationships both in past and present. Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with the murder and has been in jail since he was charged until the trial, some few months later. The complex relationships between Americans and Japanese americans are gently laid open in such as way that this trial becomes a microchasm of much more. Those who perhaps have lost hope or purpose for one reason or another find something which helps them to begin hoping again. There are some details and passages the book could have done without, but overall it is well done and worth the read.
| Title: | Snow Falling on Cedars |
|---|---|
| Author: | David Guterson |
| Date published: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Number of pages: | 460 |
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