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A review by kaadie
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really loved this book. All of the characters were interesting and well rounded. I really loved the insight into the history of Korea and more specifically what it means to be a Korean living in Japan. It was really eloquently told and even though the story was heartbreaking and tragic in some instances it really was a story about hope and perseverance. It was a bit of a challenge to decide how many stars to give this book because of the melancholic undertone. Even though I appreciate the perceptive and nuanced manner in which the story was written it is shining light on the harsh reality of life for many Koreans and that makes it hard to read. Therefore even though I thoroughly enjoyed reading it I don't know if I would ever pick it up again.
Noa's death was shocking and heart wrenching and it felt completely out of the blue, but what made it sadder is that it completely made sense. The way he had been treated and the fact that he felt tainted by his heritage, Korean and yakuza, made him terribly depressed and I think the strain of living in hiding for so many years was definitely his undoing.
I hate how much the characters suffer but it definitely makes you admire them even more so for their resilience of character and spirit. Prejudice is frustrating because of its inherent irrationality and I think the book described nicely the ridiculousness of discriminating on the basis of race/ethnicity. It also provided insight into the turmoil and persecution that Japanese born Koreans suffer due to the fact that they are too Korean for the Japanese but to Japanese for the Koreans. A ridiculous paradox that many individuals suffer through; who exist in those liminal spaces between cultures and races. The book highlights another age old bastion of suffering, poverty. The story communicates the accompanying feelings of desperation and suffocation effectively without belaboring the point or reducing the humanity of the characters. Overall, the novel actually touched on a lot of different topics concerning classism, racism, colonization, poverty, discrimination, sexism, etc. It really was a well-rounded narrative that focused on the many different aspects of being a Korean and the struggles they endure.
I found the novel informative and interesting as a result of the knowledge you acquire about Korean culture and history, but I also found it incredibly moving. Sunja was such a simple character in many ways and yet I found her story so completely captivating. She was a stalwart presence throughout the story, without having any of the flashiness or grandeur of other main characters.
I hate how much the characters suffer but it definitely makes you admire them even more so for their resilience of character and spirit. Prejudice is frustrating because of its inherent irrationality and I think the book described nicely the ridiculousness of discriminating on the basis of race/ethnicity. It also provided insight into the turmoil and persecution that Japanese born Koreans suffer due to the fact that they are too Korean for the Japanese but to Japanese for the Koreans. A ridiculous paradox that many individuals suffer through; who exist in those liminal spaces between cultures and races. The book highlights another age old bastion of suffering, poverty. The story communicates the accompanying feelings of desperation and suffocation effectively without belaboring the point or reducing the humanity of the characters. Overall, the novel actually touched on a lot of different topics concerning classism, racism, colonization, poverty, discrimination, sexism, etc. It really was a well-rounded narrative that focused on the many different aspects of being a Korean and the struggles they endure.
I found the novel informative and interesting as a result of the knowledge you acquire about Korean culture and history, but I also found it incredibly moving. Sunja was such a simple character in many ways and yet I found her story so completely captivating. She was a stalwart presence throughout the story, without having any of the flashiness or grandeur of other main characters.