Promotional Information

Has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, and is now reissued with a stunning, contemporary jacket to tie-in with the paperback publication of Guterson's new novel, The Other Winner of the Pen/Faulkner Award Includes a reading group guide

About the Author

David Guterson is the author of the novels Snow Falling on Cedars, East of the Mountains and Our Lady of the Forest; a collection of short stories, The Country Ahead Of Us, The Country Behind, and of the non-fiction book Family Matters: Why Home Schooling Makes Sense. Snow Falling on Cedars won the PEN/ Faulkner Award. David Guterson lives in Washington State.

Reviews

This mesmerizing exploration of war, love, prejudice, and justice culminates in a dramatic courtroom scene. On a small island in Puget Sound, a Japanese fisherman, accused of killing another fisherman in 1954, faces the kind of prejudice that supposedly disappeared after World War II. Flashbacks describe the horror of war as well as the innocent and doomed love between the young island newspaper editor and Hatsue Miyamoto, the future wife of the defendant. Guterson claims to have been inspired by Romeo and Juliet and To Kill a Mockingbird, both of which he has taught in high school English classes, but his creation is magnificently original. Reader Peter Marinker describes the dark cedars and low mists of the island and dramatizes the action of the trial with such sensitive skill that listeners are treated to an experience beyond that of reading the print version. Highly recommended.‘Jo Carr, Sarasota, Fla.

'This is classic whodunnit territory but Guterson's fiercely intelligent and moving novel is far more than a murder mystery ... Guterson has written a novel about the human condition that marvellously combines tenderness and excitement' The Times 'A skilfully constructed, deeply affecting story of love and death ... This is a hugely attractive book, written in clipped elegant prose' Sunday Times 'Compelling ... a flawlessly written first novel' New York Times 'Love and morality are beautifully choreographed into an exceptional debut novel' Daily Mail

This poetic novel beautifully captures the painful legacy of war and a community's struggle to deal with that pain. Shortly after WWII, fisherman Carl Heine is found dead in the waters off San Pedro, an island of ``damp souls'' off the coast of Washington State. Accused of his murder is fellow fisherman Kabuo Miyomoto, a member one of the many families of Japanese descent on the island. All of the island's inhabitants are gripped by the murder trial, but none more so than Ishmael Chambers, a local reporter who lost his arm in the Pacific theater, and Hutsue Imada, Kabuo's wife and Ishmael's former lover. First-novelist Guterson, a contributing editor at Harper's and author of the short-story collection The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind, pays meticulous attention to the legal intricacies of Kabuo's trial. His greater purpose, however, and one that he achieves with skill and grace, is an investigation of racism, the nature of justice and the ``same human frailty passed from generation to generation.'' This is a luxurious book, whose finely detailed evocation of its small-town setting effectively draws the reader to consider its larger issues. (Sept.)