Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

This was a great book - not sure how I missed it a few years ago when it was on the bestseller list.

The story starts as a courtroom drama - a man has been accused of murder in a small town on an island off the coast of Washington state.  The accused is Japanese and the victim Caucasian.  Since it is 1954, the memories around WWII, both foreign and domestic, are still fresh. While parts of the book revolve around the proceedings of the case in a way familiar to those of us in the Law & Order generation, other sections dive into many of the characters' personal histories.  Most memorably, the accused, the victim, the accused's wife, the prosecutor, and a local reporter.  Through these characters' backstories, the town's character is also revealed. 

The most memorable moments in the book were not around the case.  One that sticks in my mind was when the Japanese learned they were being taken away from their homes.  Another notable section described the relationship between a Japanese man and a family he was purchasing land from.  And there is a love story between two characters when they were teenagers that is similarly unforgettable.

Several years ago I read When the Emperor Was Divine, also about this period in history.  While I remember that book as ethereal - strong characters without names - a single family's devestating experience in an internment camp told in what I remember as a fugue/dream - this book was much more solid.  I like to think of these books together, telling different versions of a similar trope.

It's only January, but I suspect this book will be one of my favorites for the year.  It had solid plot, interesting characters, excellent setting of place and time, and a good resolution.