Title: Disappointing; rushed; loose prose
Product review: I was so looking forward to reading this second novel by the author of the delicately crafted Snow Falling on Cedars.But this novel proved a disappointment. I can't help but feel that he has been such a sensation that his publisher pressured him to crank one out quickly - and it failed.The dialogue seems stiff and forced; the characters encountered by the elderly doctor seem artificial and one-dimensional. His decision to smoke pot comes too quickly and with no explanation, on the heels of an adamant refusal to smoke that stuff. His memories of childhood, the war and meeting his wife seemed an author's trick of filling uncomfortable gaps in the action.I ended up merely skimming too many pages. This is a shame. I believe David Guterson is a magical writer. And this story could have been so good. I hope he takes more time on his next one.
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