Pachinko Review: Memorable Characters In A Touching Story Makes Pachinko A Gem Of A Book
From Korean dramas to K-pop to Korean books. Wow! I am ‘unconditionally and irrevocably’ fixated with everything Korean. I chanced upon ‘Pachinko’ while scrolling through Kindle books and the Korean name Min Jin Lee instantly had my attention.
A brief description of the book and I quickly downloaded it because I was super interested in Korea and Japan’s history. And with every flick of the page, I felt more and more amazed at how well the book was written and how much I was liking it. Since the moment I finished ‘Pachinko’ I have been stalking Min Jin Lee like a crazy fangirl. I even wrote to the author telling her how much I loved her novel and she was kind enough to reply to me.
I read her inspiring journey in her first novel ‘Free Food for Millionaires’ and I am in complete awe of her. There is no shortcut to success and this book proves that through the story and also through the author’s personal struggles. I absolutely loved Pachinko and here are my reasons why this book is so good.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
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In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant–and that her lover is married–she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son’s powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.
Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters–strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis–survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.
I LIKE ‘Pachinko’ Because,
…Pachinko holds a convoluted plot but is narrated so simply and easily that it flows smoother than water. It is very difficult to not feel attached to the characters in the book because with the omniscient narration the author gives you an insight into the mind of every character. Every character in the book has a backstory, which clearly explains his or her existence in the book.
You kind of understand the motivation behind every characters’ actions which makes you feel them. The characters in the book go through various emotions like desperation to survive, desire to fit in and be accepted, fear of losing family, and so on. I’m sure immigrants all over the world will somewhere relate to Sunja and her family’s plight. The writing is so detailed and descriptive that these emotions feel palpable.
The author spins such an engaging tale that you feel completely absorbed by the story. Spread over decades and dealing with the harsh realities of life, Pachinko never bores you or confuses you. It clearly is a well-researched topic and a beautifully executed book.
…the author has skillfully sketched every character in the book. The story revolves around one family but consists of several characters. Despite multiple characters, you just name them and I can clearly chalk out their life trajectory in the book. The author explains backstories in such detail that every character leaves a lasting impression on the mind. Every character has a unique standing and is memorable in his own way. It is an art to create such well-defined characters and I truly admire such detail-oriented writers.
…it educates you on Korean-Japanese relations and history. If you look around my blog you will notice how much I like watching Japanese dramas and reading Japanese fiction. But what I never watched or even read was Japanese history.
Pachinko not just showed me history but also made me aware of the evils of war. The kind of appalling conditions the Koreans had to live in Japan only to be ill-treated by the Japanese made me more sensitive to Koreans. I have studied the two wars in school but it was mainly focused on the events that transpired in the West. Pachinko made me aware of the other side of the globe and I felt how unfair it is to be so oblivious to the struggles of Asians.
I looked up online the history of these two nations a learned a lot about their relations. I now look at Japan differently. I now understand why Koreans hold a certain amount of contempt for the Japanese. I am not saying I hate Japan or I love Korea. But I do understand them better now.
I Do NOT Like ‘Pachinko’ Because,
…sometimes it got too detail-oriented. Though I personally like slow-paced, detailed books sometimes it gets a tad bit frustrating. For instance, when Sunja gets married, her mother visits a shop to buy some rice to celebrate the occasion. For that one scene, the writer goes on to explain Sunja’s mother’s relation with the owner and his family background and a little background about his children. The shopkeeper sells the rice and has no role in the book thereafter. Then why was he given so much importance? There aren’t many such instances so the book does not really get boring in any way. But if you are not accustomed to such detailed narration then the book might frustrate you.
Favourite Quotes in Pachinko
“Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage”
“Learn everything. Fill your mind with knowledge—it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you.” Hansu never told him to study, but rather to learn, and it occurred to Noa that there was a marked difference. Learning was like playing, not labor.”
“…a God that did everything we thought was right and good wouldn’t be the creator of the universe. He would be our puppet.”
“Patriotism is just an idea, so is capitalism or communism. But ideas can make men forget their own interests. And the guys in charge will exploit men who believe in ideas too much.”
“In Seoul, people like me get called Japanese bastards, and in Japan, I’m just another dirty Korean no matter how much money I make or how nice I am. So what the fuck?”
“In the end, your belly was your emperor.”
Final View: With ‘Pachinko’ Min Jin Lee has made a special place in my heart for her characters and her books. I personally loved Pachinko and cannot stop raving about it. If you are looking for a good example of a history-related book with a meaningful story and masterful writing then Pachinko fits the bill perfectly. Just go for it!
You can check out Amazon.in for a discount on this book.
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