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Ratings: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Genre: Fiction / Historical Fiction / Mystery / Drama / Literary Fiction

Book Review:
''Snow Falling on Cedars'' by David Guterson is a magnificent novel that won the PEN/Faulkner Award and has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. 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 the trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than one man's guilt.

On San Piedro, memories grow as thickly as cedar trees and fields of strawberries—memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and a Japanese girl; 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.

Guterson's novel is an exquisite hybrid—part courtroom drama, part love story, part historical reflection. It is fiercely intelligent and moving, a novel about the human condition that marvellously combines tenderness and excitement. If you enjoy literary fiction, historical novels, or mysteries with depth, Snow Falling on Cedars is a must-read. Highly recommended!