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A review by wellworn_soles
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
4.0
Its important to acknowledge personal biases when they come to critique. This novel hits quite a few of my favorite sub-genres (if you can call them that): it’s multi-generational and immigrant-focused, with lots of discussion of society and discrimination on a large scale through the intimate lens of a single family line. The story spans almost the entire 20th century, beginning in Korea under Japanese occupation in 1910, and ending in post-war Japan in 1989. The Korean family we follow suffer racism, poverty, and stereotyping throughout their existence both in native Korea and as immigrants in Japan.
Min Jin Lee does a lovely job of using the characters to continually impress upon readers the nature of the immigrant / refugee experience and the questions that come with it. What is my true nationality? Where is home? Where and how do I belong? These questions are posed and then answered in varying ways throughout the novel to great effect. I also really loved the extended Pachinko metaphor throughout the novel. Pachinko is not only a Korean-dominated business with racist associations, but the way the game itself is played is resonant. The game is designed as a mixture of predetermined results, set by the pachinko parlor, and a healthy dosing of luck that each player brings to the game. The house controls the angles of the pins, but after that, its just gravity. Much like pachinko, our character’s lives are a distinct mixture of planning and chance. Sometimes the best laid plans are ruined, and other times a windfall saves them from destruction. Min Jin Lee expertly wraps this together, and I thoroughly enjoyed the end product.
There were some issues. Many times I felt the cast of characters too large and one-note; some. characters were superfluous while others got built up and then finished in unsatisfactory ways. While I have an inkling that this is part of Lee’s point, it was sometimes burdensome. Further, while I generally enjoyed our main cast, there were some that I found less interesting than others. Regardless, I am very glad I read it.
Min Jin Lee does a lovely job of using the characters to continually impress upon readers the nature of the immigrant / refugee experience and the questions that come with it. What is my true nationality? Where is home? Where and how do I belong? These questions are posed and then answered in varying ways throughout the novel to great effect. I also really loved the extended Pachinko metaphor throughout the novel. Pachinko is not only a Korean-dominated business with racist associations, but the way the game itself is played is resonant. The game is designed as a mixture of predetermined results, set by the pachinko parlor, and a healthy dosing of luck that each player brings to the game. The house controls the angles of the pins, but after that, its just gravity. Much like pachinko, our character’s lives are a distinct mixture of planning and chance. Sometimes the best laid plans are ruined, and other times a windfall saves them from destruction. Min Jin Lee expertly wraps this together, and I thoroughly enjoyed the end product.
There were some issues. Many times I felt the cast of characters too large and one-note; some. characters were superfluous while others got built up and then finished in unsatisfactory ways. While I have an inkling that this is part of Lee’s point, it was sometimes burdensome. Further, while I generally enjoyed our main cast, there were some that I found less interesting than others. Regardless, I am very glad I read it.