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faeslily's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
This is probably one of the most reflective books I've ever read in my life. I was so oblivious of Japan's occupation in Korea and how this caused a mass migration of Koreans to Japan looking for new opportunities, but this caused discrimination and even segregation in which Koreans (even the ones born in Japan) were treated as less than animals.
The characters were also well written, by the middle of the book I was so attached to them and even related them to members of my own family, even when our cultures are completely different, this means the author emphasized in writing realistic and organic characters focusing on their development and social dynamics, we see this even with smaller characters in the story and it seems like the author gave them every one a background.
Definitely a must-read, and one of the best books of the year for me.
The characters were also well written, by the middle of the book I was so attached to them and even related them to members of my own family, even when our cultures are completely different, this means the author emphasized in writing realistic and organic characters focusing on their development and social dynamics, we see this even with smaller characters in the story and it seems like the author gave them every one a background.
Definitely a must-read, and one of the best books of the year for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cancer, Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, and War
amberswips's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Overall I enjoyed this book. It definitely held my interest, however I wish this had been a duology instead with one book focusing on Sunja and Isak and the other focusing on their kids. I feel that the book jumps through the years so fast we never get to see the plots flesh out. But I did enjoy the characters a lot. They were interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Death of parent, Hate crime, Suicide, Suicide attempt, War, and Sexism
Moderate: Addiction, Abortion, Body shaming, Sexual content, Cancer, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing
suprita's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
“History has failed us, but no matter.”
“It’s a filthy world, Solomon. No one is clean. Living makes you dirty.”
Spanning 4 generations, 2 countries, multiple wars and almost 79 years, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is the story of a Korean family who moved to Japan during the forced annexation of Korea in 1910. Sunja, the beloved daughter from a poor but well-respected and hardworking family, reluctantly agrees to marry a kind but sickly minister (Isak) to protect her family name from the shame that comes with pre-marital pregnancy. After her wedding, Sunja moves to Japan to live with Isak’s brother and sister-in-law. Pachinko is the story of Sunja’s family and their search for a place they can call their own.
Being Historical Fiction, the attention to detail in Pachinko is astounding. Lee effortlessly weaves politics with personal life and it’s very fascinating to witness how political situations force these characters to take life-changing decisions. Lee also very subtly uses political developments and major historical events to steer the story forward and develop her characters. I particularly liked how issues like addiction, sexism, racism, homophobia, bullying, body image issues, shame and classism are woven into the experiences of these characters and not treated as token issues dealt with in passing. The language flows seamlessly, painting vivid pictures of the lives these characters live. The book is also very informative, especially when it comes to learning about the relationship between Korea and Japan and how Koreans were discriminated against by the Japanese in the early-mid 20th century.
As much as I loved these aspects of the book, they also made it really heavy to read after the first couple hundred pages. It was also difficult for me to connect deeply with these characters because of the length of the chapters, changing perspectives and the time gaps. I particularly did not like the time gaps because they gave the story a very incomplete feel. The narration was meant to be objective, so as to give the reader a chance to form their own opinions, which I really appreciate in books. But in this case, it felt flat almost to the point of unattached and unfeeling, so much so that at points it felt like the characters themselves did not feel passionately about what was happening in their lives. There are also a LOT of characters and as the story jumps through time, some are discarded while others are added and it becomes really difficult to keep track of who’s who.
All in all, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one but there is much to learn from each character and their individual situation. The resilience and grit showed by Sunja, the shame felt by Noa because of his blood, the discrimination faced by Solomon because of his identity, the loyalty and silent strength of Kyunghee and the countless sacrifices made by parents so that their children have lives better than they did.
It was definitely a good start to the #ReadingAsiaPacific readathon on Instagram. I read Pachinko for the Week 1 (prompt: North Asia).
“It’s a filthy world, Solomon. No one is clean. Living makes you dirty.”
Spanning 4 generations, 2 countries, multiple wars and almost 79 years, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is the story of a Korean family who moved to Japan during the forced annexation of Korea in 1910. Sunja, the beloved daughter from a poor but well-respected and hardworking family, reluctantly agrees to marry a kind but sickly minister (Isak) to protect her family name from the shame that comes with pre-marital pregnancy. After her wedding, Sunja moves to Japan to live with Isak’s brother and sister-in-law. Pachinko is the story of Sunja’s family and their search for a place they can call their own.
Being Historical Fiction, the attention to detail in Pachinko is astounding. Lee effortlessly weaves politics with personal life and it’s very fascinating to witness how political situations force these characters to take life-changing decisions. Lee also very subtly uses political developments and major historical events to steer the story forward and develop her characters. I particularly liked how issues like addiction, sexism, racism, homophobia, bullying, body image issues, shame and classism are woven into the experiences of these characters and not treated as token issues dealt with in passing. The language flows seamlessly, painting vivid pictures of the lives these characters live. The book is also very informative, especially when it comes to learning about the relationship between Korea and Japan and how Koreans were discriminated against by the Japanese in the early-mid 20th century.
As much as I loved these aspects of the book, they also made it really heavy to read after the first couple hundred pages. It was also difficult for me to connect deeply with these characters because of the length of the chapters, changing perspectives and the time gaps. I particularly did not like the time gaps because they gave the story a very incomplete feel. The narration was meant to be objective, so as to give the reader a chance to form their own opinions, which I really appreciate in books. But in this case, it felt flat almost to the point of unattached and unfeeling, so much so that at points it felt like the characters themselves did not feel passionately about what was happening in their lives. There are also a LOT of characters and as the story jumps through time, some are discarded while others are added and it becomes really difficult to keep track of who’s who.
All in all, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one but there is much to learn from each character and their individual situation. The resilience and grit showed by Sunja, the shame felt by Noa because of his blood, the discrimination faced by Solomon because of his identity, the loyalty and silent strength of Kyunghee and the countless sacrifices made by parents so that their children have lives better than they did.
It was definitely a good start to the #ReadingAsiaPacific readathon on Instagram. I read Pachinko for the Week 1 (prompt: North Asia).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Child death, Rape, Suicide, and Body shaming
Moderate: Homophobia
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