Pachinko

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.