Book 27 - Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson

My local library has a cart that sits next to the information desk with a sign that says, "Good Books You May Have Missed." It was here that I stumbled across this week's book, Snow Falling on Cedars. I had heard of the book, and had heard it was supposed to be good, so I decided to give it a try.

Book 27 - Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson

Set on San Piedro, a small island in the Puget Sound of Washington State, Snow Falling on Cedars tells the story of the trial of a Japanese-American man named Kabuo, who has been charged with murdering Carl Heine, a white man. The trial takes place in the mid-fifties, and anti-Japanese sentiment runs high in the small town. Kabuo has motive and opportunity, and there are pieces of circumstantial evidence which may or may not point to his guilt, but Kabuo maintains his innocence against the accusations of the zealous prosecutor, who seems to be capitalizing on the jury's predjudices against Japanese in order to get a conviction.

As children and teenagers, Hatsue, Kabuo's wife, was involved with a caucasian boy, Ishmael, the son of the local newspaperman. They spent countless hours in secret together, lest their families find out and forbid them to see each other. Finally, when the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Hatsue and her family, along with all the other Japanese and Japanese-Americans on the island are rounded up and taken to an internment camp. Ishmael makes her promise to write, and thinks that one day they will be together again, but Hatsue has already decided that she does not love Ishmael, and while at the camp she meets Kabuo, with whom she falls in love and marries. Ishmael continues to carry a torch for her, and this influences his actions in relation to Kabuo's guilt or innocence.

With this book, I was hoping for more of a mystery story, and less of a Harlequin romance. The story, while beautifully told, is predictable, and in my opinion seems to be overly focused on Ishmael's obsession with Hatsue. This is not to say there weren't other elements that were interesting: the culture of the Japanese-American families; the cruelty of the internment; the prejudices the Japanese-Americans faced both before and after the war. But in the end, I found it a somewhat unsatisfying read.

Obviously many people liked this book, so feel free to read it if you like.