A review by nytephoenyx
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

emotional reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Pachinko follows the lives of four generations of Koreans as everything they know is torn apart and their identities are challenged by prejudice and war. This book takes us from rule South Korea into the major Japanese cities and tells the story of the diaspora formed after World War II. While most of the story centers around Sunja, the second generation, in each POV we experience a different kind of struggle, both internal and external. It’s a fascinating and a heartbreaking study.

I often struggle to read books without immediate, clear plot. That was not the case with Pachinko. While there is no linear destination, each character has plenty of obstacles they need to overcome. Almost all of these obstacles are grossly unfair and driven by racism or elitism. From Noa, we see the intense bullying Korean students have to endure. Through Mozasu, we see the struggle to carve out a successful place in the world despite the world assuming you are crooked and dishonest. Kyunghee, one of my favorite characters, shows us that racism is relentless, even if the person does everything culturally correct. All of these stories are told in a historical context, most of them taking place entirely in Japan, and the story leaves us at the 1980s. That said, it’s easy to see where 40 years after the end of the book, these racist prejudices and multi-generational struggles persist today.

While Pachinko focuses specifically on a Korean family, we do see hints of the lives of Japanese individuals as well. There are many kinds of relationships represented in Pachinko, and I applaud Min Jin Lee for including LGBTQIAP+ representation as well. The Japanese characters of this story are struggling to reckon their actual identify with their expected identity. For one, this is his sexuality. For another, it’s her role as a mother. There is only one Japanese-American character, but even in her, we see the weight of the diaspora as she is unable to connect with her cultural identity.

There are a swarm of conversations to be had about Pachinko and the characters in this book. I think if I read it again, it would feel like an entirely new story. It’s sad and it’s sweet and the writing outlines the hum of life and the forced acceptance within its pages. Pachinko is a book that will make you think, and it will make you want to learn more.

I wholeheartedly recommend Pachinko to any reader who can handle a slow-paced slice of life book. The pacing is purposefully slow, so you can’t fly through it the way a reader can with high action books. It’s such a worthwhile read, thought-provoking, delicately woven, complex, and enlightening. This is one of those books you put on your “books to read before I die” list.

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