Synopsis: Snow Falling on Cedars focuses on the murder trial of Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese resident of San Piedro island in Washington state, in the early 1950’s. As the story progresses it becomes clear that there is much more happening on the island than what most people see.

My Thoughts: First off, I enjoyed the story and the way it was presented. As the murder trial progresses and different characters take the stand the reader is given backstory of how they relate to the two main characters, Kabuo Miyamoto, the accused, and Ishmael Chambers, the island’s local reporter. These flashbacks serve the duel purposes of furthering  the plot and fleshing out the ancillary characters that populate San Piedro island. At times the author is too descriptive and provides information on characters that don’t need to be addressed. I understand these additions are to make the island community feel more alive, but it just fell flat as I was more interested in discovering the direct relationships between primary characters. 

There were many unexpected moments of sexual description that surprised me, especially as they were mainly between two characters who were not together during the trial. The descriptions were never lewd, but they don’t mince words either. Although the sexuality was unexpected it did serve to directly explore the characters and create tension in the plot that ultimately leads to a pivotal moment in the trial. 

I read this book shortly after finishing When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka, a story that deals with Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II. Snow Falling on Cedars also deals with Japanese internment camps, illustrating the effects of being sent away unexpectedly on their lives when they returned. When Pearl Harbor was bombed the Japanese residents of the US became demonized overnight. One minute they were living in harmony, the next they were being harassed, abused, and sent away from their homes. This book brought up the same feelings of sadness and disgust that I experienced reading When the Emperor Was Divine. 

Overall this was an awesome book that I am thankful to have read. I dropped one star only because I felt there was too much scene setting when it came to the ancillary characters. However, if that’s your thing then consider this a five-star recommendation.