Pachinko

5/5 stars

In the early 1900s, teeanager, Sunja, becomes pregnant by a married man. Knowing she cannot marry her child’s father, she instead marries a sickly minister on his way to Japan. Her decision to move from Korea to Japan catapults her family and future generations into an epic saga of heartbreak and resilience.

Time traveling with Sunja and her family was emotional and riveting. I see now why so many people consider this a masterpiece. I was immediately drawn in and connected with the characters. I found myself caring about them and struggling with them as they endured Japanese occupation and its aftermath. 

It took me a little bit to get used to this style. There were many time jumps because the book follows four generations of a family. Characters were also introduced and taken away unceremoniously. I was taken aback by how casually characters’ deaths would be mentioned (not a spoiler, just what happens when following so many characters through four generations). 

It was a quick read, despite it being such a long book. I was surprised by how fast I flew through the pages. It was easy for me to put down and pick back up, which made it a great book to read during a busy work time. I was intimidated by the book at first and held off on reading it because I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Thankfully, it did. 

Despite the time jumps, I didn’t think I was missing out on anything. It felt like just enough detail and glimpses into the characters’ lives at specific time points that gave me a holistic perspective without drowning me in plot points. Overall, this was a phenomenal read that captured me and left me a bit heartbroken once I had reached the end. I highly recommend it.