A review by machuvicchu
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

An immersive, heart-felt, and gripping tale of a Korean family in Japan during the early 20th century that is seamless as we go character-to-character and generation-to-generation. I didn't know too much about this part of history but I'm glad that this book could act as an introduction. There's great power in putting a name and face to the kinds of trials and tribulations that Koreans surviving and existing within Japanese colonialism experienced.

I feel like it's never too good of an idea to rate a book so soon after reading it but I'm between a 4.75 and 5 because I wasn't as invested in the later characters as I was by the first generation.