Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is an epic tale of family, resilience and survival set in 20th century Japan and Korea. Following four generations of one Korean immigrant family, Pachinko tells a haunting and heartbreaking story of love, loss and identity.
The novel begins in the small fishing village of Yeong-do, Korea in 1910. Sunja is a young girl living with her proud and hardworking father, Isak and her kind and gentle mother, Yangjin. As Sunja grows, her mother, fearful of the implications of her husband’s infidelity, arranges a marriage to a minister in search of a wife. However, when the minister learns Sunja is pregnant with Isak’s child, he shuns her and makes it impossible for the family to stay in Yeong-do.
Faced with an uncertain future, Sunja and her family travel to Osaka, Japan in search of a better life. Here, Sunja refuses to return home empty handed and decorates the bleak apartment with items that evoke memories of Korea; a patchwork quilt, brightly coloured kites and her parents’ cherished seashells in the hope that soon they might be able to start again in Seoul.
The family fights hard to survive in the unfamiliar city, with Sunja and Isak taking on dangerous jobs, while her mother uses her knowledge of herbal medicine to support them. Over the years, the family experiences both joy and sorrow as they yearn to return home.
However, their anguish is magnified when war breaks out, and their Korean identity is only made worse by the persecution and discrimination that come hand-in-hand with Japan’s shifting laws and policies. With no means to return home, and their identity and patriotism questioned, the family is trapped between two cultures and forced to choose between their past and their future.
Still, Sunja and her family never lose faith, resilience and determination as they continue to build a life for themselves. As the years go by, their family grows with their descendants having to find their own identity and sense of belonging in the cultural crossroads of Japan and Korea. As the novel comes to its conclusion, what remains is a heartfelt story of faith, identity and the power of a mother’s love that has kept her family alive and together.
At its core, Pachinko is a captivating tale of family and culture that transcends time and place. With beautiful and graceful prose, Min Jin Lee dives deep into the complex emotions and struggles of growing up in two places and the sadness and hope that comes with it. A must-read for fans of historical fiction, Pachinko is an incredibly moving story that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page.
