Rating: 3 Stars
Published: February 7, 2017
Pages: 496
Genre: Historical Fiction
I have had this book in my radar for a few years now since it has been hyped a lot by many book lovers on social media. I was finally convinced to read it after listening to a review by someone who’s recommendations always make the mark.
Pachinko is a multigenerational story of a Korean family’s journey from the early 20th century to the 1980s. It follows Sunja, who was cherished by her parents and fell pregnant for a married man which was a displeasure to her mother. As luck would have it, she is rescued by Isak, a Christian minister who marries her despite her misfortune and takes her to Japan where they start their lives as a young couple. Through 8 decades, Sunja navigates life through several many challenges which shape her future and that of her family. The major themes in this story include war, survival, identity, loss, and heartbreak.
I will start by saying that this book has given me a much-needed history lesson on the Korean Japanese relationship and the dynamics around it. As a lover of historical fiction who is interested in reading diverse stories from all over the world, learning about this history gave me joy. However, as a fictional novel, I found the story a bit flat with a rather loose plot or almost plotless in my opinion which didn’t make for enjoyable reading. The first part of the book was interesting and promising but somewhere along the line, it just went south for me. Also, I wasn’t really drawn to any of the characters (perhaps Noah for a bit) which made it a bit boring. Some of the characters that were brought into the story especially in the third part of the book didn’t need add anything to the story but instead made it unnecessarily longer than required. I understand why quite a number of people say they enjoyed reading this book especially with the history lesson learnt and this is why I have given it a 3 stars rating.
I would still recommend this book as an essential read to understand the history of that region and its people, however, don’t expect any climax or proper plot and be prepared only to educated.
The Author:
Min Jin Lee’s novel Pachinko (Feb 2017) is a national bestseller, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and an American Booksellers Association’s Indie Next Great Reads. Lee’s debut novel Free Food for Millionaires (May 2007) was a No. 1 Book Sense Pick, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Wall Street Journal Juggle Book Club selection, and a national bestseller; it was a Top 10 Novels of the Year for The Times of London, NPR’s Fresh Air and USA Today.
Min Jin went to Yale College where she was awarded both the Henry Wright Prize for Nonfiction and the James Ashmun Veech Prize for Fiction. She attended law school at Georgetown University and worked as a lawyer for several years in New York prior to writing full time.
She has received the NYFA Fellowship for Fiction, the Peden Prize from The Missouri Review for Best Story, and the Narrative Prize for New and Emerging Writer. Her fiction has been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts and has appeared most recently in One Story. Her writings about books, travel and food have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Times Literary Supplement, Conde Nast Traveler, The Times of London, Vogue (US), Travel + Leisure (SEA), Wall Street Journal and Food & Wine. Her personal essays have been anthologized in To Be Real, Breeder, The Mark Twain Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Work, One Big Happy Family, Sugar in My Bowl, and The Global and the Intimate: Feminism in Our Time. She served three consecutive seasons as a Morning Forum columnist of the Chosun Ilbo of South Korea.
Lee has spoken about writing, politics, film and literature at various institutions including Columbia University, French Institute Alliance Francaise, The Center for Fiction, Tufts, Loyola Marymount University, Stanford, Johns Hopkins (SAIS), University of Connecticut, Boston College, Hamilton College, Hunter College of New York, Harvard Law School, Yale University, Ewha University, Waseda University, the American School in Japan, World Women’s Forum, Korean Community Center (NJ), the Hay Literary Festival (UK), the Tokyo American Center of the U.S. Embassy, the Asia House (UK), and the Asia Society in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong. In 2017, she won the Literary Death Match (Brooklyn/Episode 8), and she is a proud alumna of Women of Letters (Public Theater).
From 2007 to 2011, Min Jin lived in Tokyo where she researched and wrote Pachinko. She lives in New York with her family.
Copyright © Biyai Garricks
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Biyai Garricks, rovingbookwormng.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Discover more from Biyai Garricks
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.