Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

                It is extremely difficult to tell a multigenerational story that has a well-crafted plot, great world building, and amazing character development. Lee managed to not only master all those things but also include historical details and racial nuances that enhanced the story and described a culture. Pachinko begins in Korea in the early 1900s, the story of man crippled since birth, who marries a poor young girl whose father had too many daughters and few prospects. It then follows the growth of their family, his death and his daughter’s unexpected pregnancy. All around them the world is changing. Korea is now controlled by Japan, people are suffering because of their culture and uncertainty about the future looms. We follow this family through four generations. As the years pass, their lives change in unbelievable ways as wars come and go, their country is divided and their family survives.

                I don’t want to be purposefully vague but I also don’t want to give anything away. This story was incredibly well done. The manner in which Lee crafted and maintained this story lent itself beautifully to this plot. She didn’t go into painstaking detail about each year of their lives, but allowed time to pass naturally and events to unfold organically. Reflecting on the time passed and the ways in which it changed the characters was extremely effective. The beginning of the story provided absolutely no clues to what would happen as time changed. Social commentary throughout clued readers into the historical events happening around the characters.

                One of the things that I really enjoyed about this novel was the look at Korean culture and the racial divide between Koreans and Japanese. I’m not well versed on the struggles that occurred in Korean history. Reading about the bigotry and cultural differences that were so pervasive was interesting and I thought well handled. It was vital to making this novel as authentic as possible to explore how these two cultures interacted.

                I’m giving this novel 5 out of 5 stars. I was impressed by the way Lee tackled this multi-generational epic about a Korean family. It isn’t a novel you can casually read because it handles so many details and those details are what weave the beautiful fabric that is this novel. Very well done. I was invested in the characters from the beginning and that dedication to them never wavered. I felt like I was living through turbulent times, rejoicing through their triumphs and despondent through their pain.