Snow Falling on Cedars (Vintage Contemporaries) [Paperback]

'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 '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 '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 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Compelling...a flawlessly written first novel.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'A glorious whodunnit...it closes like a fist around the captivated reader.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'Dramatic and suspenseful.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award

American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award

San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies.  But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder.  In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries--memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; 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 neighbors watched.  Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense-- one that leaves us shaken and changed.

"Haunting.... A whodunit complete with courtroom maneuvering and surprising turns of evidence and at the same time a mystery, something altogether richer and deeper."--Los Angeles Times

"Compelling...heartstopping. Finely wrought, flawlessly written."--The New York Times Book Review

San Piedro Island in Puget Sound is a place so isolated that no-one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese-American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder.

In the course of the ensuing 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 who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memories of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbours watched.

Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, 'Snow Falling On Cedars' is a masterpiece of suspense – but one that leaves us shaken and changed.

"Luminous…a beautifully assured and full-bodied novel that becomes a tender examination of fairness and forgiveness…Guterson has fashioned something haunting and true."
PICO IYER, 'Time'.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

David Guterson is the author of the novels Snow Falling on Cedars, East of the Mountains and Our Lady of the Forest; a collection of short stories, The Country Ahead Of Us, The Country Behind, and of the non-fiction book Family Matters: Why Home Schooling Makes Sense. Snow Falling on Cedars won the PEN/ Faulkner Award. David Guterson lives in Washington State. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.