Product Description

In 1954 a fisherman is found dead in the nets of his boat, and a local Japanese-American man is charged with his murder. In the course of his trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than one man's guilt. For on San Piedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries - memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and a Japanese girl; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbours watched.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28790 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
'This is classic whodunnit territory but Guterson's fiercely intelligent and moving novel is far more than a murder mystery Guterson has written a novel about the human condition that marvellously combines tenderness and excitement' The Times 'A skilfully constructed, deeply affecting story of love and death This is a hugely attractive book, written in clipped elegant prose' Sunday Times 'Compelling a flawlessly written first novel' New York Times 'The death of a fisherman turns into a murder trial and a test of passions brewed since Pearl Harbour between two heritages claustrophobically locked on one dot of land. Love and morality are beautifully choreographed into an exceptional debut novel' Daily Mail

When Carl Heine is pulled out of his gill net with his skull cracked open just above his left ear, foul play is suspected. A casual remark by the coroner leads to the arrest of Kabu Miyamoto, a local fisherman of Japanese descent. The ensuing trial exposes the tensions between the Japanese community and other ethnic groups on a small island in the Puget Sound. Guterson re-creates the confusion created by different cultural interpretations of a single act, but also establishes a wonderful sense of place. The characters have strong physical and emotional relationships to the land and sea. The novel is suffused with the scent of cedars and strawberries, the softness of moss, mist and snow. Guterson, himself resident of a small island in the Puget Sound, has observed his land well. Snow Falling on Cedars was his first novel and won him the PEN/Faulkner Award. (Kirkus UK)

Old passions, prejudices, and grudges surface in a Washington State island town when a Japanese man stands trial for the murder of a fisherman in the 1950s. Guterson (The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind, 1989, etc.) has written a thoughtful, poetic first novel, a cleverly constructed courtroom drama with detailed, compelling characters. Many years earlier, Kabuo Miyamoto's family had made all but the last payment on seven acres of land they were in the process of buying from the Heine family. Then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and Kabuo's family was interned. Etta Heine, Carl's mother, called off the deal. Kabuo served in the war, returned, and wanted his land back. After changing hands a few times, the land ended up with Carl Heine. When Carl, a fisherman, is found drowned in his own net, all the circumstantial evidence, with the land dispute as a possible motive, points to Kabuo as the murderer. Meanwhile, Hatsue Miyamoto, Kabuo's wife, is the undying passion of Ishmael Chambers, the publisher and editor of the town newspaper. Ishmael, who returned from the war minus an arm, can't shake his obsession for Hatsue any more than he can ignore the ghost pains in his nonexistent arm. As a thick snowstorm whirls outside the courtroom, the story is unburied. The same incidents are recounted a number of times, with each telling revealing new facts, In the end, justice and morality are proven to be intimately woven with beauty - the kind of awe and wonder that children feel for the world. But Guterson communicates these truths through detail, not philosophical argument: Readers will come away with a surprising store of knowledge regarding gill-netting boats and other specifics of life in the Pacific Northwest. Packed with lovely moments and as compact as haiku - at the same time, a page-turner full of twists. (Kirkus Reviews)

Guardian
'An absorbing and beautiful work.'

The New York Times
'Compelling...a flawlessly written first novel.'

Customer Reviews

A classy whodunnit which stands out from the crowd
In the overcrowded field of mystery thrillers, it's not often one comes across a book that is not only a great mystery but also a literary testament to the turmoil of humanity, but that is exacly what David Guterson has achieved with Snow Falling on Cedars. The 'action' takes place over the course of three days, in a court room presided over by an elderly judge, in an small island community being pummelled by one of the worst wintery storms in living memory. Kabuo, a third generation Japanese immigrant, is accused of the first degree murder of another island fisherman. But as the case unfurls, Guterson takes us on a tour of this island's history that reveals the tensions and turmoil of island life, and reveals the backstories of the accused, the victim and many of the witnesses and spectators. Each character is laid bare, exposed to the censure of the pen, while Guterson leaves the reader to make their own judgement. In finely crafted, laconic prose, Snow Falling on Cedars is a testament to the pointlessly of war, the duality of the nature of love and, above all, to the power to humanity to do the right thing in the end. An engaging parable, a gripping thriller, and fine book. Highly recommended.

Whodunnit? who cares? that's not the point of this book
This is not a whodunnit in the Agatha Christie sense of the term. Do not expect everyone to gather in the drawing room where the detective will point their finger at the person every reader had worked out on page six was the guilty party.

If that is what you expect then you will be disappointed. As other reviewers have said it is a pity in many ways that someone chose to label the book as a whodunnit. Yes this is a courtroom drama and yes there is a mystery to solve. More importantly though is that this book is a superbly told description of a small community, exacerbated even further by their insularity, both literal and metaphorical, and some slight racist overtones. That it does superbly but the amount of description Guterson uses to achieve that does get in the way of approaching this as a simple whodunnit.

If you like Joanne Harris' novels then this should appeal. It has those similar themes of small communities but is in many ways a far better account. If you want a true whodunnit then look elsewhere, that is not the main point of this book.

not really a crime book
The main disadvantage this book has is that it has the word 'whodunnit' on the cover, which is completely misleading. Frankly, the reviewer who labelled this as a whodunnit ought to be sacked; it is hardly surprising that people who buy this book expecting a whodunnit are disappointed, since that particular genre is plot driven with minimal interest in characters, whereas this thoughtful and, in places, profound work is quite the opposite. Guterson is clearly interested in characters, describing their motivations and how these motivations came to exist at a deeper level than most crime books, which is what separates this book from most other crime fiction. In fact, I'm not even sure labelling it as a piece of crime fiction is helpful.
In short, a beautiful and engaging book, but don't buy it if you want a whodunnit or a thriller...