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Jun 17, 2016lukasevansherman rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
When I was working at a book store back in '96, everyone was reading this. Somehow, I'm just getting around to it. I'm going to disagree a bit with the other reviews; I though the writing was rather pedestrian and the plotting uneven. First time novelist and Pacific Northwesterner David Guterson's story is set on a small Washington island where the tensions between the Japanese and the Anglo population come to a head when a Japanese fisherman is accused of murder. It's a love story, a legal thriller, a war tale, a murder mystery, a social justice novel. It's maybe too much and Gutertson flails around trying to weave in so many themes, plots, and time periods. But, hey, what do I know? It won the PEN/Faulkner award and was made into a film in 1999. Followed by "Sleet Resting on Maples."