Pachinko

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.