The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 23 November 2007
by David Guterson
In Snow Falling on Cedars David Guterson painted a broad portrait of small town life during World War 2 and the internment of Japanese citizens. In this novel, he focuses on the life of one man, Dr. Ben Givens, as he comes to terms with the end of his life. The book opens on Ben's last day on Earth. He is retired, widowed, and has advanced colon cancer. And, he has chosen to end his life on his own terms, staging what will look like an accident while hunting in his home country, east of the Cascades in Washington. Early on, the reader will sense that the events of life have little regard for the plans of men. Ben goes on his trip, and falls into a series of accidents and meetings that divert his path along the way. His last hunting trip is complicated by a car accident, an attack on his hunting dogs, a bus trip, a birth, and a long reflection on his life. He looks back upon his upbringing, his one great love, and his time in Italy in World War 2. His adventures are often brutal, described in occasionally excruciating and vivid detail. He is, after all, a doctor. The story is like a nut. It is small, hard and encases Ben's reflections. His journey is beautifully described in Guterson's attentive prose. And, despite the somber tone of the whole story, there is something here that affirms the complex trouble and beauty of life. To this reader, a very different novel from the one for which Guterson is most well-known. Still a small compelling tale.
Also by Guterson: [Snow Falling on Cedars]