Scan barcode
rit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Abortion, Car accident, Miscarriage, Stalking, Cancer, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Infertility, Medical content, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism, Ableism, Alcohol, Abortion, and Addiction
aexileigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Sexism, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual content, War, Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Classism
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Drug use, Car accident, Drug abuse, Cancer, Classism, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, War, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Sexism, Bullying, Racism, Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Alcoholism
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Cancer, Colonisation, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Confinement, Classism, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Racism, War, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Car accident, Body shaming, Bullying, Abandonment, Rape, Infidelity, Infertility, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Blood, Alcoholism, and Abortion
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Prose: 4.5 ★
Pace: 4 ★
Concept/Execution: 4.5 ★/5 ★
Characters: 5 ★
Worldbuilding: 5 ★
Ending: 4 ★
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Colonisation, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abortion, Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicide, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Cancer, Alcohol, Body shaming, and War
Minor: Infertility, Murder, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Deportation, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, and Trafficking
nannahnannah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Representation:
- most of the characters are Korean
- a few secondary characters are Japanese, and one of them is gay
Pachinko is the story of a Korean family that largely centers on a girl named Sunja (well, a girl at the beginning of the novel). It begins with her unfortunate seduction and grooming by a wealthy Korean man living in Japan. When Sunja becomes pregnant, he reveals that he’s married, and Sunja refuses to become his “wife in Korea”. She marries a big-hearted Christian minister who, funnily enough, is on his way to Japan. But war is coming, and the father of her son won’t risk losing his only male heir.
Even if the writing gets awkward at times, I’m captivated by the story. Only during the last fourth, when the novel got around to the last generation told through the PoV of Sunja's grandson, did my interest wane a little. I hear this is a common problem with family sagas, because so much time is spent making sure the audience falls in love with the earlier generations. Naturally we’re just more attached to them.
The differences in PoVs are handled masterfully, especially in the case of highlighting generational differences, differences in how children are raised in Korea or Japan, each character’s experiences, and what they’re told while growing up. The first generation still loves and longs for Korea, and tells their children they represent all Koreans, while the children are told a different version of the same thing at school: “‘you must be an excellent person--at school, in town, and in the world. No matter what anyone says. Or does.’ (...) ‘Yes, appa.’ Hoshii-sensei had told [Noa, the child] that he had a duty to Koreans, too; one day he would serve his community and make Koreans good children of the benevolent [Japanese] Emperor.”
Also done very well is the fetishization of Koreans: “She would always believe that he (...) wasn’t himself but some fanciful idea of a foreign person; she would always feel like she was someone special because she had condescended to be with someone everyone else hated. His presence would prove to the world that she was a good person, an educated person …” So while there are definitely some slow bits and some awkward phrasings, and characters I’m just not as invested in, there are absolute jewels like these quotes that make it impossible to stop reading, even at two in the morning.
This novel covers a hell of a ton, and thinking back on that, I do kind of think the author may have stuffed a bit too much into a single story. But everything that was here was done incredibly well. I also know there’s a show made based on this, so I’ll have to check that out soon (and anything else written by Lee Min-jin)!
Graphic: Rape and Pedophilia
also: ableist slurs, grooming, csa, abuse against a sex workergeneralnui's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Xenophobia, Suicide, and War
tahsintries's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Ableism, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Abortion, Colonisation, Genocide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and War
Minor: Infertility, Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction
tinyjude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, War, Bullying, Classism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Ableism, Homophobia, Infertility, and Pedophilia
Minor: Abortion, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, and Addiction
nikolama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Racism, Sexism, War, Xenophobia, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Bullying, Miscarriage, and Pedophilia
Minor: Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Cancer, Cursing, and Infertility