Winner of the PEN/Faulkner AwardAmerican Booksellers Association Book of the Year AwardSan Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies.  But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder.  In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries–memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; memories 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.  Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense– one that leaves us shaken and changed. "Haunting…. A whodunit complete with courtroom maneuvering and surprising turns of evidence and at the same time a mystery, something altogether richer and deeper."–Los Angeles Times "Compelling…heart stopping. Finely wrought, flawlessly written."–The New York Times Book Review

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson is a captivating novel that explores the themes of love, loss, and prejudice. Set on an island in the Pacific Northwest, the story follows the trial of a Japanese-American man accused of murder during World War II. Through the eyes of various characters, including the accused man's childhood friend and the local newspaper editor, the novel delves into the complexities of small-town life and the impact of war on a community. With beautiful prose and a compelling plot, Snow Falling on Cedars is a must-read for fans of literary fiction.