Snow Falling on Cedars
Winner of awards, a favorite of literary critics, this first novel of a Washington state writer appealed to me in many ways, especially after reading the first two pages full of gorgeous description.
Snow Falling on Cedars
By David Guterson
Unfortunately Guterson's descriptive abilities can focus on the unpleasant just as easily as on the pleasant aspects of life. There was way too much detail about sex (for my preference) and in general... just way too much description. I wanted to learn more about the art of descriptive writing, and I'm sure this book enriched me in that way, but it was top-heavy on that. It also relied heavily on back-story flashbacks - in just about every chapter. I got used to it after a while but it wasn't a simple book to read, which took some of the pleasure of reading from me.
The story takes place over the course of a short murder trial. During the trial all the witnesses (and others) are profiled with back-story, descriptions, and way more details than necessary. It has a good plot and I think if more plainly told, I would have enjoyed it a lot. The author's obsession with sex really ruined this for me. For example, he gave descriptions of the private parts of five different male characters, two of whom were dead! Spare me! I didn't need to know.
The historical part of the novel focused on the forced relocation of the Japanese during World War II. If you want to know more about that era and prejudice against the Japanese in America, this would be one good book to read.
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