雪松

Title：Snow Falling on Cedars
Author：Guterson, David
Vintage contemporaries ed. 
New York ; Vintage Books, 1995 
460 p. 
Read by 2/18/2013, my collection
Genre: Fiction

World War II made a history. It touched so many lives. This book is not about the war, but certainly on the after effect it made on us. I am not talking about the scars, wounds, yes they are evident in the characters of the book, but there is much more. Prejudice? Fairness? Love and hatred? Yes and no, I would say. Like the fishermen living on the island, we are surrounded by water - we all have limits or boundaries, isn’t it? It is good because that makes us considerate of others, like the author said. It is bad because it shuts us off with the limits and can’t think big nor speak freely, which in turn limits us more. That’s how exactly we are constricted and become small. The author cleverly used a murder case to reveal such to us. This is not a crime novel, I could tell this from page one. The story ends in a way exactly what I predicated when I was through ¼. Okay, I had three predications: Nobody, everybody, or somebody. If it was the case of the third guess, this would be a failed book. The second guess would make the story a tragedy. I am not telling the ending here, I am just glad I am becoming a skilled reader.

When we are caught in current, we couldn’t help but going with it. Often times, however, that one little thing remaining afloat would save us and lead us and others around out of the deep water.

P.S. The movie was a disappointment, as always. The 120 minute movie is hardly sufficient to hold 460 page content. Everything was condensed. Audience won’t be able to arrive at what I got as a reader, so the director and screen writer had to exert here and there with statements or action to make up the void. Here is what Nel said in the movie (not in the book): “…a rare thing or a turning point, freed us from the obsession, be it the prejudice, hatred or love”, “It is not the defendant on trial, it also puts humanity, integrity and grace on trial”. The hug by the end of the movie is out of character.

I also listened to the Audio Book version, simultaneously with my reading of the hard copy. The narration helped interpreting the conversations more accurately, the narrator did a great job. However my attention wandered away from time to time during the driving-listening. The mood and emotion did not get built up while I was in motion. Audio books are for busy people and those who have reading problems, more than half of the literary value got lost in this form.