Pachinko

Usually I try to choose books for my Around the World project that primarily represent one country, but this one is about the intersection between countries and cultures, linked by war, cultural dominance, and emigration. I didn't know about Korean immigrants as an underclass in Japan, and this multigenerational saga brought that history to life.

I'm a sucker for reading something before watching a movie or television adaptation, so when I heard good things about this year's Pachinko series on Apple TV+ I decided I had to read this.

This is a multi-generational drama set in a culture and period that I did not have a lot of familiarity with. I actually somehow had no idea that Japan had annexed Korea for the better part of the first half of the 20th century, so seeing a representation of racism and oppression in that setting was something new to me and drove me to a bit of further reading on the history.

Between the writing and the narration of the audiobook I listened to, the whole book had a stoic matter-of-fact quality to it that worked a lot of the time in a somber “life trudges forward” sort of way, but at other times made the story feel a bit long and drawn out. Time passes effortlessly and characters age drastically from one moment to the next, which in some cases made them feel like someone I knew intimately and in some cases I felt as if I never had a chance to understand them. It was a bit frustrating at times though it did also add a lifelike quality to the whole thing.

I'm really interested to see what the show is like now, because it does not feel like a straightforward thing to adapt and I'm curious to see what angle they come at it, and I think I'm glad I read this first to be able to analyze the show in that way. We'll see!

Probably 3.5 stars. In many ways a fascinating book with a lot going on and a lot to think about. The first 2/3 of the Nov were brilliant. The last third seemed to lose a little direction, with some storylines that didn't seem to fit in the larger narrative, while the central storyline seemed somewhat unconvincing... Solomon's choices seemed contrary to his personality and upbringing.. Perhaps there is more to it that people in the community would understand, but the exposition was quite vague. I also thought that, given the central role of women in the epic, thier characters (with the exception of Sunja) seemed under developed.

ETA: After pondering this book more, I'm bumping it from 4 to 5 stars. The plot has stuck with me in unexpected ways.I was about halfway through reading this book when I remembered that Min Jin Lee had a debut novel called [b:Free Food for Millionaires 709734 Free Food for Millionaires Min Jin Lee https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328038874s/709734.jpg 3343234]. I looked it up on Goodreads to add it to my TBR, only to realize I had apparently read it – and hated it.It didn't taint my enjoyment of this book though. I loved this multigenerational saga about a Korean family (and those who become family) that spans most of the 20th century. There is so much that happens over the course of this book that to summarize it would be doing it injustice, but I would recommend reading the first chapter and seeing what you think. I also enjoyed how Lee wove political and historical events into the book but without spending too much time going in a separate tangent, which many authors tend to do.Lee also tends to have something major happen right before she switches to a different character's perspective or a new time period, which takes a little getting used to.

The first third was easily engrossing. It was refreshing to learn about the history of Ikuno and about the Korean diaspora in Japan. The formula of family sagas is difficult to escape though. The older generations stoically live through readable hardship, while the younger generation is spoiled and ungrateful. I was actually expecting the youngest generation here to end up in America and to experience new discriminations and ones that are inescapable being unable to pass amongst the reigning racial supremacists. But the United States is maintained as a distant promised land. The novel holds the ideology too of work and wealth as virtue with no compunctions for example about swindling an old lady out of her home—and I nearly resented having to read through a banker bro poker game. Why are all the protagonists of the younger generation men? Both the narrator and the characters examine the structures of racism but none confront the misogyny, and the women who are granted long lives surrounded by devoted family members accept their lot as one to suffer—confines that are vocalised eight times across 470 pages.

Incidentally, if Phoebe and her disapproval of aspects of Japan were to be written more roundedly, the most salient affliction of living in Japan as a woman and expat is the omnipresence of pickup artist bullshittery and anti-feminist pageantry.

I posted on my instagram about this book and i was just in the beginning of book 3 when i did so - i had given the book a 5 star review midway. I completed changed my mind on book 3 though. The way the story was being carried out was very interesting up until then but there were major plot changes that made me feel like i was reading a different book and even the perspective changes focusing on side characters rather than maintain the story on the path it was going made me change my mind. I understand now why one of the main characters SPOILER gets cut off after thinking about this book for two days after finishing reading it - but still after that the book just gets weird at least for me. Although i didn't enjoy book 3 as much book 1 and 2 were absolutely amazing - i really like how the story is developed from the multi perspective point of view, specially now that i have discovered that family sagas/generational fiction is my favorite genre. anyway, i really enjoyed some major reflections i made about race and social acceptance that are main central points of this book, it definitely is not just a book to read and forget but one that will stay with you and make you reflect upon the subjects that are presented. i have noted down three parts of the book that really resonated with me:

1) Akiko's intrusion on Hansu's lunch: this is one of the big plots of the book, this girl just destroyed Noa's life for no reason and it is in this piece that Noa notices that she only saw him as a “Good Korean” and not as a human being, which was what he wanted all his life. However she carries herself as being “above prejudice” but still is driven but such social bias of Koreans in Japan.

2) Solomon tells his boss: “so then the success tax comes from envy, and the shit tax comes from exploitation.” Couple of chapters after we see that Solomon is actually paying the shit tax rather than the success as his boss had implied.

3) Phoebe tells Solomon: “There was more to being something than just blood.” Another big discussion of the book, how Koreans were treated all their lives - even if they were born and raised in Japan - they would never be considered Japanese people, I think this last few chapters and Solomon's plot makes up for the 3rd book. He's relationship with Phoebe (a Korean American) says a lot about himself, his identity (he sees himself as more Japanese than Korean but he is a Korean citizen even if he has never lived there) and his ambition. He thinks he has everything figured out after college but little by little he begins to lose everything he had hoped to build.

Interesting read. The biggest takeaway for me was the marginalization of Koreans in Asia was very reminiscent of the marginalization of African Americans in America. It's very interesting to see racism in another country and how the people of that time survived/transcended that situation, for some it was death and other it was denying their ethnicity.

I enjoyed seeing the evolution of these characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

I came into this having gotten tons of hype from friends, which can be a double-edged sword, but it delivered for me. Multi-generational family stories often appeal to me, and this one taught me quite a lot that I hadn't known about the relationship between Korea and Japan while telling a powerful story. I really loved it!

I lived in Korea for 2 years in the 1970s and used to travel there for work in the '90s, visiting most recently in 2011, and while that doesn't make me an expert on all things Korean, the story this novel tells about Koreans in Japan wasn't as unfamiliar to me as it seems to have been for a lot of readers. Lack of familiarity with the cultures seems to have been part of the reason US readers have responded so well to it.

In 1977 I spent some time in Osaka with some friends. We went to a Pachinko parlor–perhaps run by Koreans, although I wasn't aware of that–and we each played for a while. I was a pin ball addict in college, so I could definitely relate. We each won a lot of balls from our games and the parlor exchanged them for bundles of ballpoint pens. Puzzled, we managed to ask what we were supposed to do with the pens. We were then guided down an alley behind the parlor where we exchanged the pens for cash.

This is a good old fashioned family epic, telling the story of a Korean family that makes its way to Japan for work and ends up staying there because of World War II, the Korean War, and all the changes these upheavals brought. Children are born, and then grandchildren, and because of Japan's citizenship laws and Japanese attitudes towards Korean people, generations of Koreans grow up as “foreigners” in the land of their birth.

While this lovely novel tells the stories of the individuals who make up this particular family, it also tells the story of the Korean people who lived and worked, were born, grew up in and were part of Japan–and still are. At times it seemed like characters were introduced only to drop away after a while, and I found that disappointing. Viewing the story from the perspective of the primary character, Sunja, who is born at the beginning of the novel and is a very old woman at the end, makes that dropping away seem more natural, since some of the characters are more central to her life than others. Also, viewing this as an historical epic where individuals play their parts and then drop out is a way of understanding this aspect of the novel.

I recommend this for the historical information represented in the novel, and a compelling, enjoyable story about a family's struggle to stay together and thrive in very tough circumstances.

Pachinko takes quite a long time to set the premise for its actual “pachinko” part, and even after the turning point, it deliberately takes its time to cultivate the title metaphor - an endgame that thoroughly impressed me.
I had read about Zainichi Koreans before, but I had no knowledge of the link between their outcast condition and what we westerners usually think is just a Japanese silly game-craze.
All in all, Pachinko taught me something new.
No matter how much I read about Japan, though, I can never even begin to understand the reasons/scope/real nature of what still looks to me like an astoundingly resilient brand of psychological rigidity.

Very well written, I have loved Sunja, Hansu and Isak. Other characters aren't as well-rounded and complete. A couple of gratuitous sex scenes popped up in places where they didn't really add much to the plot or depth of the characters involved. Other than that, quite a fine book.

I really enjoyed this book and can truly see why it has received so many rave reviews, high accolades and was a National Book Award finalist in 2017. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. This is a book about family ties. The bias that affected Korean expats in Japan at the end of WWII was harsh and I had no idea how bad it was until I read Pachinko. The hardships the characters faced gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for all that I have been blessed with in my life. The writing style was wonderful and I look forward to reading more books written by Min Jin Lee.
- I read the digital version and listened to the audio version simultaneously which I was able to borrow from my library via the Libby App. I just ordered the hardback version from the Book of the Month club, as well, because I know I'm going to be reading this one again and again!

Summer Reading Challenge:
The book is better: Read a book being adapted for TV
or film this year.
Armchair traveler: Read a book set in a destination
you want to visit. – Japan

I loved Pachinko for many reasons. I felt the book was strongly written and while it often got depressing, it provided a sense of realness that soothed the harsher edges. And while upsetting, I enjoyed reading the historical look into the lives of Koreans in Japan and the discrimination they faced there. There were also many strong themes throughout the book that elevated the read and caused me to often think deeply. Tackling issues such as mental health, regret, and shame, this book became more than just your typical generational novel.

However, I had one main issue with Pachinko. As a generational novel this book contained many characters, and while not hard to follow, I found the constant switching around caused a lack of emotional connection. This novel moves swiftly, and I often felt that around the time I was finally getting a strong feel for a character the POV would switch. I found myself often wishing for deep dives into certain characters, only to instead be getting whisked around from character to character. This often meant I wasn't connecting to the characters emotionally, which usually left me feeling distant from the novel.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, and I loved reading about the history of Koreans in Japan. A personal highlight for me was reading about Korean dishes throughout the novel which always left me hungry.

This book was absolutely fabulous. I've always loved immersing myself in a new culture, learning what it is to be somebody else, in a different era, living by different rules. At turns heartbreaking and heartwarming, exotic for its setting and characters, universal in what moves people and makes life worth living, this only goes to underscore how alike we all are. The running thread of discrimination and prejudice, of what pits ‘us' against ‘them' is so alive and fresh throughout the book, but unfortunately an all too common occurrence. I'm a Romanian living in Northern Italy, and I feel that this kind of mentality has blighted relationships between Northern and Southern Italians for many years, then it was the Romanians' turn in the 90s, now it's somebody else's turn. Written with a deft hand, this was poetry for the soul and food for thought.