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A review by one_womanarmy
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fantastic. Heartbreaking. Informative. Pachinko follows four generations of a Korean family who move to Japan amidst Japanese colonization and political warfare. I learned so much about Korean culture and history through the eyes of the poor, working class women whose choices and fates are bound by war, obligation, young romance, shifting gender expectations, and above all - family.
I felt continually humbled and impressed by how Lee weaves together the personal and the political in this novel. She develops characters with deep emotions and complex yet clear motivations. She then shows how these characters' lives are impacted by issues such as racism and xenophobia, classism and gender discrimination, body image and intergenerational trauma, and more. Despite the persistent sexism and racism they experience, Lee shows how the perseverance of women, the strength within female friendships, and the power of individual action all can create and maintain love within a messed up society. She does not minimize or glorify the suffering her characters face. Rather, with compassion and empathy, she reveals how her characters adapt and strive to thrive and love one another amidst all of their hardships. I cried a lot reading this book.
The narrative voices shifts throughout, and minor characters get heard too, some even towards the end, which I thought was quite brave. It have the grand timeline of the book grounding, in a way, with the modern era in the books final chapters feeling fast, rich, and frenzied, as compared with the leisurely pace of early chapters and their flowing imagery of rocks on a village sgorez the smell of smoked a workman's shirt.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, I felt deep gratitude the authors mastery and all the gifts it gave me.
I felt continually humbled and impressed by how Lee weaves together the personal and the political in this novel. She develops characters with deep emotions and complex yet clear motivations. She then shows how these characters' lives are impacted by issues such as racism and xenophobia, classism and gender discrimination, body image and intergenerational trauma, and more. Despite the persistent sexism and racism they experience, Lee shows how the perseverance of women, the strength within female friendships, and the power of individual action all can create and maintain love within a messed up society. She does not minimize or glorify the suffering her characters face. Rather, with compassion and empathy, she reveals how her characters adapt and strive to thrive and love one another amidst all of their hardships. I cried a lot reading this book.
The narrative voices shifts throughout, and minor characters get heard too, some even towards the end, which I thought was quite brave. It have the grand timeline of the book grounding, in a way, with the modern era in the books final chapters feeling fast, rich, and frenzied, as compared with the leisurely pace of early chapters and their flowing imagery of rocks on a village sgorez the smell of smoked a workman's shirt.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, I felt deep gratitude the authors mastery and all the gifts it gave me.