Pachinko

Overview:

Pachinko is a multi-generational saga that follows the story of Sunja— a young Korean woman who finds herself unwed and pregnant in the early 1900s. But because of the love of an unexpected stranger, she escapes her fate and moves to Japan to start a new life. Sunja and her family endure decades of poverty, racism, and the changing times.

Notable Theme: The suffering of women.

“A woman’s lot is to suffer.” —Sunja, Pachinko.

Sunja’s suffering, and resiliency, is an important catalyst to the story, but it wasn’t the only one we see. We regularly see the male characters silently wrestling their own demons— the grief of a lost parent, the truth of a concealed heritage, the pain of unrequited love, the torment of targeted bullying, the silence of a secret kept through the deathbed. Every character carries their own suffering. The author chooses to acknowledge and pity the suffering of women, while intentionally omitting time to process and grieve male suffering. In the end, the females thrive, but the men deteriorate.

Review:

The book started off strong— I cared for Sunja and her relationships. The content on Korean-Japanese relationships and the anti-immigration sentiment was interesting (and also a little close to home). The characters were well developed and managed their hardships uniquely. I’ll admit, I cried in public when a character succumbed to their own grief.

Unfortunately, the plot lost focus as the younger generations came of age. I found myself wondering if the book would have been better structured as a duology, or ended much earlier.

FINAL RATING:

4 stars

Beverage Pairing:

Soju, duh.

Interesting fact: Even as far back as the 1920s, Sunja would have been familiar with soju since there were over 3,000 breweries throughout the Korean Peninsula.