“Sunja-ya, a woman’s life is endless work and suffering. There is suffering and then more suffering. It’s better to expect it, you know. You’re becoming a woman now, so you should be told this. For a woman, the man you marry will determine the quality of your life completely. A good man is a decent life, and a bad man is a cursed life—but no matter what, always expect suffering, and just keep working hard. No one will take care of a poor woman—just ourselves.”
Book 1, Chapter 4
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, Narrated by Allison Hiroto
Published by: Hachette Audio; February 7, 2017
Genres: Historical Fiction | Adult | Asian Literature
Length: 17 hours 48 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Libby
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Trigger Warnings: Physical & emotional abuse, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Colonialism, Suicide, Misogyny, Korean War & WW2, Profanity, Abortion, Miscarriage, Infertility
Rated: Adult
★★★☆☆ | 3 / 5
Summary
In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant—and that her lover is married—she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son’s powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.
Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters—strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis—survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.
My Review
This is a tough one to swallow. I heard so much about this novel, how it made people cry and become emotional. For some reason, I didn’t feel that. True, the story spans several generations and the course of many major historical events. The struggles and hardships were real, and I felt for many of the characters. In the world they were living in, racism was real. For many of us, this connects. Even in today’s day, people of different races and colours face discrimination.
What was lacking was the way the story was told. Maybe it’s just me, but there were a lot of characters to keep track of and to follow. Some characters were given special mention and attention, never to be heard of again. Oftentimes, the writing felt detached, which in turn made me feel detached from the characters.
There is so much history covered in this story, and it took me a long time to get through it, even though I was listening to the audiobook. I did learn a lot about the occupation that happened and how it affected so many families during that time period. But if I were to pick up a historical fiction about Korea and Japan, this wouldn’t be it.
I understand that there is a TV series adapted from Pachinko, and perhaps it is a much better fit for the screen than the book format. I may give it a chance, as it can give the characters colour and life more than the book did for me.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend it. Maybe watch the TV series instead. Unless you really want to read it for the sake of reading it. Some people may enjoy it more than I did, and that’s okay too. Everyone has a valid position on the type of stories and writing they like.
★★★☆☆ | 3 / 5
