A review by kalyaniwarrier
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

adventurous dark emotional informative 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? Yes

5.0

“History has failed us, but no matter.”

it’s a fictional story about a real historical event that took place. the novel is set in colonised Korea (South Korea - Busan) and later on in various parts of Japan who colonised the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. the novel highlights the discrimination and suffering of Koreans born in Korea, Koreans born and bought up in Japan, Japanese who married Koreans, Korean-Japanese who are discriminated against in Korea, etc.

we see four generations who go through various obstacles in their lives as Koreans who face humiliation and suffering in every aspect of their lives. each generation suffers a new form of discrimination while suffering their elders’ hardships. a story so brutally painful that it will stick with you for a long time.

i couldn’t put this book down and i finished it before my estimated time. it was harrowing to see the way the Japanese imperialists and citizens treated Koreans and Chinese just to establish authority over the controlled.