Snow Falling on Cedars

By David GutersonThis book is amazing! I have read it before but it was quite a while ago. I recently found it at the thrift store and decided it was time for a reread. The book is set on an island in the Puget Sound around the time of World War II. A man dies while fishing one night and a Japanese American man on the island is accused of murder. The book alternates between following the trial and present events and flashbacks that the characters have of their past. The community on the island have some bad history that influences the way that they view each other. Most of the Japanese were moved to internment camps during the War and some of white islanders still view them somewhat suspiciously. Snow Falling on Cedars deals with a lot of heavy issues about racism and prejudice, love, family, relationships, and development of character. But it does so with an intriguing plot that keeps the book moving.

I read somewhere that the author was inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird. I love that book and I can definitely see the correlation. Not close enough to be a knock off, but definitely in the same genre. I can't think of much that I don't like about this book. Everywhere I went with this book, I had at least 3 people say that they loved it. That's a good recommendation right there. I know there is a movie, but I haven't seen it. Is it any good?