David Guterson’s first novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, wove a crucial time in our history with an affecting tale, and drew a vast audience, including many readers who knew little or nothing of the WWII internment of Japanese Americans. The book has a compelling mystery as its story line while being true to the essentials of the historical setting. Although Guterson addresses moral issues in the story, his writing is most effective precisely because he does not impose a particular moral or ethical position. For him the novelist’s obligation is to engage and entertain and in that process to raise questions, dramatize issues, and provoke thought. As he draws his readers into the drama, they are forced to examine their own ingrained attitudes, to consider the nature of justice, and to choose between the conflicting demands of self-interest and conscience. His masterful novel helps readers understand these issues at a personal level and confront racism in personal terms.
In addition to awakening the conscience of a generation of readers through his novels, Guterson helped create a major community resource when he co-founded Field’s End, the writer’s community affiliated with the Bainbridge Library and now a thriving organization offering writing classes, literary events and programs.