A review by mal_reads_books
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

I enjoyed the range of characters and the drama between them. I felt invested in most of them, especially Sunja. When it started focusing on the newer generations (the 1970s-80s chapters toward the end), I did find myself flipping through more quickly because I wasn’t really interested in them.

(Side note: It took me a while to figure out Mozasu was named after

Moses

and I feel kind of dumb for it 😅)

Overall, great story that demonstrates the discrimination and other hardships that Koreans experienced in 20th century Imperial Japan. I already had a surface level understanding of how the Japanese treated Koreans back then (“comfort women”, for example), and this book gave me an in-depth look of what the Koreans went through. I felt immersed in the story, settling, and culture. Would love to read more books like this. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, Suicide, Colonisation, Death, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Infidelity

Christian themes are prevalent, especially toward the beginning. Several characters have biblical names, such as Sunja’s pastor husband (Isak), brother-in-law (Yoseb), and children (Noa and Mozasu).

Isak and several members of his church are imprisoned because one member was caught saying The Lord’s Prayer instead of worshipping the Emperor. He is released shortly before he dies and his injuries show that he was tortured in prison. Seeing him die, and how unrecognizable he looked, especially when his family hasn’t seen him in years, was upsetting.

Other things worth knowing: teenager is groomed and gets pregnant by man twice her age; also a group of boys attempts to sexually assault her, but she is saved by this man. Resilience against racism and misogyny are major themes of the book, so anti-Korean and misogynist comments are frequently seen in dialogue.