Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

48 reviews

ssipos's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Pros:
- The portrayal of the many, many female characters in the novel and how their backgrounds and circumstances explained the decisions they made and the behaviors they exhibited; even unlikeable characters like Hana could be sympathized with by the end of the book
- Sunja; she was easily my favorite and a stand-out character for making the tough but right choices time and time again, despite so many factors working against her; her indomitable spirit is admirable
- The complex evolution of the Koreans living in Japan and assimilating into Japanese culture and language but without being truly accepted into Japanese society and facing continuous racism

Cons:
- The author chose to often describe the naked bodies of the female characters in detail, but not for the male characters; this may have been purposeful by the author to highlight the sexualization of the women, but it didn't feel like these multiple depictions tied into the larger story in a neat way
- The length of the novel felt long once we moved into the last generation's story (Solomon); and jumping from many characters towards the end of the book (Haruki, Hana, etc.) felt scattered and less like an epic novel and more like short stories tied together
- I wish the book had just focused on Sunja's life and the people around her - transitioning to others like Haruki, Etsuko, etc. didn't hold my attention like the beginning of the book when it was more focused on Sunja

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Suicide

Minor: Addiction, Police brutality, Trafficking, Abortion, and War

a minor female character, who suffers from disfigurement (crooked nose) due to the assault>

liesthemoontells's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The best works of fiction are the ones that transcend your own reality. This multi-generational saga shines a light on a specific and untold slice of human experience during one of the most often recounted periods of recent history. 

While the beats of civilian suffering during WWII are a well-trodden artistic theme, the specific marginalisation that ethnic Koreans experienced living in colonial Japan during this period are less well explored in western literature. Min Jin Lee's story takes familiar beats from war fiction and gives them a new and distinctive perspective.

While there are moments of gorgeous prose in this book, I was impressed by what a light touch the omniscient narrator's voice has throughout the book. The writing is clear and unadorned, leaving space for the characters' specific voices to shine through.

My biggest complaint about this book is that it wasn't long enough! It covers a huge swath of time in less than 500 pages, which means that each chapter is like glimpsing a vignette from the life journeys of its characters through the flash of a moving train window. I would have liked it if we had been allowed to get off and stretch our legs at each station. Instead I felt propelled through the narrative and away from the characters at each stage of their lives before I was ready.

Having said that, this book covers a huge swathe of characters, time periods and perspectives. It does not let its ambition detract from being an engrossing and entertaining read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Deportation

Minor: Rape and Trafficking

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Dementia, Abortion, and Deportation

maureenlessreen's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely beautiful, but oh my god, so devastating. Like with Still Life, which I read earlier this year, it’s hard not to believe these characters are flesh and blood, living human beings. A tale spanning 5 generations and I cared for every member of the family and almost every side character. I loved learning about a POV I’ve never considered — colonized Koreans who end up being expatriates in Japan.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Grief

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Abortion

bites_of_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Yes, I truly love well-crafted historical fiction that spans generations and this one did not disappoint. 

The characters are complex and multidimensional, the prose is beautiful and careful in how it describes each event and each decision made by the characters. The historical context is given without it being overwhelming or dry and it makes it all feel urgent. 

I breezed through this book and I'll definitely pick up other works by Min Jin Lee. Highly recommend! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

cagigglez's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I think the book was very enlightening and contemplative.  It really required the ability to step back with an open mind and for myself, who is not Korean, embrace myself into a different culture to be able to understand the tug of the characters.  It was interesting that it followed 4 generations of people and there were sad themes throughout.   Probably the most frustrating part was the development of characters and sub plots that never really developed past the initial story- so you’re left wondering what Happened to them and a little bit of wasted energy in getting emotionally attached to their story.  Overall, a great read with some really powerful and thoughtful themes throughout. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Classism

matcha_cat's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide, Violence, and Alcohol

thenoboshow's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism

femmeprints's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was a slow long read but really really interesting. The intergenerational dynamic was well done but a bit confusing at points as I was doing an audiobook. I have very little background on Japanese imperialism of Korea and this was my first look into that history. It was informative, deeply heart breaking, beautifully written and did keep me engaged. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, and Domestic abuse

moonmoonsun's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation