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A review by readwithev
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

Pros:
  • Multiple characters (male & female with varying ages)
  • Following Sunja and her family across 3 generations 
  • 3rd person omniscient POV
  • foreshadowing
  • I liked that Solomon’s romances did not work out but he learned from them
  • Noa’s college romance epiphany
  • I liked Solomon’s decision to leave big banking and choose his family
Cons:
  • Slow pacing
  • Hansu doesn’t seem that dangerous. His yakuza ties are heavily implied but we only witness him beat a woman once. (I’m not saying that’s a serious offense, just that it’s not gang level to me).
  • when of Sunja’s affair with Hansu is to Noa, I expected Mozasu to find out too, but he never does. I thought that was disappointing. It would be been more interesting if Mozasu eventually found out and confronted Sunja too.
  • Yoseb dies “off screen
Overall, this book is a 4. I liked a lot of elements. It’s a slow build family drama with lots of side characters too.