Setting

Set in the 1950s, Snow Falling on Cedars unfolds against the backdrop of post-World War II America. The story takes place on the fictional San Piedro Island, located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, just north of Puget Sound in Washington state. This isolated setting serves as a microcosm of the larger societal tensions and prejudices of the era, particularly those directed towards Japanese Americans in the aftermath of the war.

The island's landscape is vividly portrayed, with snow-covered cedars and strawberry fields playing significant roles in the narrative. The harsh winter weather, particularly the snowstorm that grips the island during the trial, acts as both a physical and metaphorical backdrop to the unfolding drama. The courthouse, where much of the present-day action occurs, becomes a focal point for the community's collective memories and unresolved conflicts.

Guterson's novel also explores other key locations that shape the characters' experiences. These include the internment camps where Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated during the war, specifically mentioning Manzanar in California. Additionally, the Pacific theater of World War II, including the Battle of Tarawa, serves as a crucial backdrop for understanding the characters' wartime experiences and the lasting impact of the conflict on their lives and relationships.

Characters

• Ishmael Chambers: Local newspaper editor and World War II veteran who lost an arm in battle. He harbors unresolved feelings for Hatsue from their teenage romance.
• Kabuo Miyamoto: Japanese-American fisherman on trial for murder. A decorated war veteran who faces prejudice due to his ancestry.
• Hatsue Imada Miyamoto: Kabuo's wife and Ishmael's former love interest. She struggles with her past relationships and cultural identity.
• Carl Heine Jr.: The murdered fisherman whose death is at the center of the trial. He had a complicated history with the Miyamoto family.
• Etta Heine: Carl's mother, who holds prejudices against Japanese-Americans and serves as a key witness in the trial.
• Nels Gudmondsson: Experienced defense attorney representing Kabuo in the murder trial.
• Art Moran: Town sheriff investigating Carl's death and presenting evidence at the trial.
• Alvin Hooks: Prosecutor in Kabuo's murder trial, seeking conviction based on circumstantial evidence.
• Horace Whaley: Town coroner who examines Carl's body and provides testimony during the trial.
• Ole Jurgensen: Elderly farmer who sold his strawberry field to Carl, a key piece of evidence in the trial.

Quick facts

• Author David Guterson wrote the novel over a 10-year period, waking up at 4:30 am to write before his teaching job.
• It was Guterson's first novel and became an unexpected bestseller, allowing him to quit teaching to write full-time.
• The fictional San Piedro Island is based on Bainbridge Island, where Guterson lived.
• A stage adaptation premiered in 2007 at Seattle's Book-It Repertory Theatre.
• The book has been challenged or banned in some U.S. school districts due to its sexual content.
• Guterson was inspired to write about the Japanese-American internment after learning his own high school classmates had been interned.
• The novel's structure, with its use of flashbacks, was influenced by William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom!
• Guterson conducted extensive research on salmon fishing and cedar logging to accurately depict the story's setting.

About the author

David Guterson, born in 1956 in Seattle, Washington, is a renowned American author best known for his bestselling novel Snow Falling on Cedars. This work, which explores themes of love, prejudice, and justice against the backdrop of Japanese American internment during World War II, earned him the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1995 and has sold nearly four million copies worldwide.

Before his literary success, Guterson spent a decade teaching at Bainbridge High School while honing his craft as a writer. His diverse body of work includes six novels, two story collections, two works of nonfiction, and two books of poetry. Notable titles beyond Snow Falling on Cedars include East of the Mountains, Our Lady of the Forest, and The Final Case.

Guterson's writing is celebrated for its atmospheric intensity, narrative drive, and exploration of fundamental human themes such as love, death, meaning, and morality. His journalistic background is evident in his meticulous research and attention to detail, particularly in his portrayal of the Pacific Northwest landscape where he has lived his entire life.

A family man and community contributor, Guterson resides on Bainbridge Island with his wife Robin. They have five children and three grandchildren. In addition to his writing, he co-founded Field's End, an organization dedicated to supporting writers. Guterson's commitment to his craft and his region continues to shape his literary output, making him a significant voice in contemporary American literature.