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A review by aellereads
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
5.0
Set in Korea and Japan in the 20th century, Pachinko is a touching story of love, family, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. The novel follows 4 generations of a Korean family seeking a new and better life in Japan after living through Japanese colonization and wartime turmoils.
Through almost a century worth of family stories, Min Jin Lee depicts the discrimination of Koreans in every aspect of their lives: bloodlines, identity, culture, food, and religion. Despite the injustice, the racism, the classism, the disappointments, and the daily difficult conditions Koreans have to endure in Japan, Pachinko is also ultimately about good-hearted, honest, and loving people who support each other to move forward in life.
The author’s rich, detailed and complex descriptions and characters drew me deep into the everyday life of this family and made me feel for them. Pachinko is a marvellous and affecting read that took me to another time and place. Reading Min Jin Lee’s novel was a profound history and learning lesson - one that I didn’t get to study or even heard of at school.
Through almost a century worth of family stories, Min Jin Lee depicts the discrimination of Koreans in every aspect of their lives: bloodlines, identity, culture, food, and religion. Despite the injustice, the racism, the classism, the disappointments, and the daily difficult conditions Koreans have to endure in Japan, Pachinko is also ultimately about good-hearted, honest, and loving people who support each other to move forward in life.
The author’s rich, detailed and complex descriptions and characters drew me deep into the everyday life of this family and made me feel for them. Pachinko is a marvellous and affecting read that took me to another time and place. Reading Min Jin Lee’s novel was a profound history and learning lesson - one that I didn’t get to study or even heard of at school.