It is 1954, and the shadow of World War II, with its brutality abroad and internment of Japanese Americans at home, hangs over the courtroom. Just a very believable, human account.On San Piedro, an island of rugged, spectacular beauty in Puget Sound, a Japanese-American fisherman stands trial, charged with cold-blooded murder.
In terms of a whodunnit, I loved it - it wasn’t overly frustrating with too many twists and turns. This book left me thinking about human nature and to what extent our prejudices can be controlled or removed. Enough clarity and direction was given for me to feel satisfied. I am very glad to have read it and, although I would love to have seen a more tidied up ending and for those who cast the heaviest stones to show their remorse, I was happy enough for the ending to be left to the imagination.
The story itself is a fascinating insight into the greater or lesser extent to which humans can let prejudice affect their judgement, their impressions and their lives. Also, if he had taken the time to check how to say the very few words and short phrases in Japanese. I would have given it 5 stars if the Japanese accents had sounded Japanese rather an indistinguishable blend of European accents. Aside from this, the narration was generally very good. For this reason, I would encourage everyone to ensure to read at least from chapter 30 onwards so as not to skip anything. I can’t understand why this was done and without the missing parts, the listener will be left with question marks about how everything came together. This would have had a higher rating from me if chapters 30, 31 and 32 hadn’t been unforgivably abridged. The writing is beautiful and poetic, descriptions of snow and setting mesmeric at times, and, if anything, even enhanced by Marinker's sensitive reading.įascinating and brilliant story with the last 3 chapters inexplicably butchered by Audible The suspense of the final chapters I found almost unbearable, and couldn't imagine how the author would bring off an ending that could satisfy artistically and emotionally - until he does achieve just that. The individual stories are unfolded and entwined in the overall story with great tact and inspired plotting. Only their capacity to grow as human beings can redeem their lives. San Pedro Island, further isolated by a long snow storm, accentuates the isolation of the characters, variously trapped by accident, fate and their experience of war. Beyond all this, the portrait of a community and the tensions of identity and prejudice within it are explored with sensitivity and a real knowledge of a particular time and place. At all levels - love story, thriller, courtroom drama, it is an intensely involving and deeply textured narrative. This is a profoundly human and moral book, which made a compelling listen as narrated by Peter Marinker.
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