A review by ashlightgrayson
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional informative slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was initially interested in this book because I'm completely unfamiliar with the history for Korean colonization by the Japanese and I was hoping this book would encompass what it was like to live during that time period. I'm happy to say that reading this book was definitely eye opening. Usually when colonization is brought up in conversation, at least for me, it's always by default referring to European colonization. Obviously, colonization also happened in Asia, in large part by the Japanese. This book was great at showing that no matter who the colonizers are, the colonized always suffer the consequences of injustice and racism. We follow several generations of characters as they struggle with their own personal issues. The book is told in third person, but I still feel like I got to know the various aspects of the character's lives through generations. I highly disliked Yosef because even when he first met Soonja I felt like he was hiding something. Turns out he was married the whole time and wanted her to be his mistress. Over time I think his development over the years also shows that overall he isn't above being abusive to women he deems aren't worthy of respect, which is definitely horrible. 

Noah was probably one of my favorite characters because he embodied the feelings of inadequacy that racism often brings about. He was a very good depiction of the insecurities that come from having to hide your identity because the world you are in is prejudiced. I also appreciated how he contrasted with his brother in terms of his love of studying and what he wanted for his future. The qualm I really had in the book is that I didn't think he would commit suicide soon after reuniting with his mother. I did expect him to be stressed by her presence because anyone finding out he was actually Korean put this stability at risk. Overall, I did enjoy this book and think it captures the historical time periods it explores super well. I do recommend it for anyone interested in historical fiction ser in Asia.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault and Suicide

It really sucks that even after Noah died, Soonja still had to see Yosef around into old age. In addition, I don't think the author built up his struggle with depression enough to smoothly lead up to the point in the story when he commits suicide. Then again, in a lot of suicide cases a lot of people don't realize the person that committed suicide was depressed because they didn't notice any signs. Some people are also just really good at hiding their feelings, so maybe the author did that on purpose. Even if she did, I would have preferred more of a build up to it.