A review by croscot
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

 the first 1/3 was amazing, the last one lost me. perhaps generational dramas are just not for me, because by the time the last family member, Solomon, was introduced, i'd already been too invested in the lives of his parents and grandparents and couldn't retain my interest when they started fading from the narrative. 
i also thought the book could do with less graphic teenage sex. or more adult scenes between two actual adults to, i don't know, balance it out.
ALSO! Noa. HUH? WHY???

from his chapters we could see how smart and studious he was, but NOTHING could've prepared me for the way he left the story!! like... why?? no explanation whatsoever. just "he was always a sensitive child" afterwards, but at least a paragraph on his thought process before killing himself would've been nice. because for someone who needed everything to make sense him leaving his wife and 4 children made NO sense whatsoever.