I stayed away from this book for a long time because the movie version never appealed to me. I am very glad I gave it a chance because it really fulfilled most of my requirements of a novel. The story was interesting and plausible both at the same time, the characters were appealing and multi-dimensional, and the setting was really fascinating (both in location and time). The story is a courtroom drama and mystery, but the novel is really about the havoc that racism and injustice has wrought on a small community. In that way it is a bit like "To Kill a Mockingbird". I was happy to see a novel address this shameful bit of American history in such a way. The author approaches it honestly with out any sensationalism. I hope other people will give this book a chance like I did. I look forward to reading more of his fiction.

On one level, this novel is a whodunnit - we are following the trial of a fisherman accused of killing another fisherman. But since one is Japanese-American and the other white, the book is also an examination of racial bigotry and hatred. It is set in the American North-West among a strawberry growing and fishing community torn apart by WWII and the internment of Japanese-Americans. There is a love story, a vivd and visceral description of being a soldier in WWII, and the narrator's slow decline into loneliness and professional failure. But the book scores highest when is shows us how fear turns to mistrust and mistrust to injustice and hatred, all without becoming preachy.

"Snow Falling on Cedars" has an interesting plot about a fisherman, Carl Heine, who is found dead among his fishing nets. The setting is on an island north of Puget Sound in the year 1954. Accused of the murder is a Japanese-American, Kabuo Miyamoto, because of a dispute over farm land. The book has well-developed characters, particularly that of Hatsue, Kabuo's wife, and Ishmael Chambers, the local newspaper reporter. However, where the book does fall short is in the overabundant descriptions of the fishing industry, particularly at the beginning of the book, and the fishing community as a whole. The movie definitely told the story in a more graceful flowing, colourful and descriptive manner than the book. However, what does make the book a worthwhile read is the plot, itself, the intriguing characters, the strong emotions, racial tensions, and the pain from the aftermath of the second World War. Combine those ingredients together and you have an interesting book.