👘 [Japanese Week] 📖 Novel of the Week: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Today I bring you a book review that could help understand the recent disputes between Japan and South Korea.

1910, Yeongdo (Busan, Korea) – 1945, Osaka (Japan)

After her beloved husband’s death, Yangjin has only her daughter Sunja to help her with the family boarding house’s business.

Sunja is a quiet and hard-working young lady, who has been keeping a secret: she fell in love with Koh Hansu, an elegant Korean who travels a lot between Korea and Japan due to his work. The two love each other so when she finds herself pregnant, Sunja is over the moon. Unfortunately, Koh Hansu is already married with kids with a Japanese woman but wants to take care of Sunja and their baby as her ‘Korean family’. Heartbroken, she strongly refuses and swears not to see him ever again, while leaving him behind.

Meanwhile, at the boarding house arrives Beak Isak: gentle and clever child of an aristocratic family in Pyongyang, he’s set to travel to Osaka to lead a church there. Due to his fragile health, he falls sick and Yangjin and Sunja take care of him. After getting better, Isak asks Yangjin to allow him to marry Sunja, revealing he already knows she’s pregnant. Yangjin sees no better option and it would be good for her daughter to start fresh in a new, prosperous country, so she agrees and the two of them leave for Japan.

They’ll live with Isak’s older brother, Yoseb, and his Korean wife, Kyunghee, which will quickly become friends and support for Sunja, as she doesn’t speak a word of Japanese.

Years go by, but Japan proves to be challenging for Koreans: Japanese are openly hostile and consider Koreans worse than pigs, relegating them to very humble jobs or leaving them no option other than joining the yakuza, the Japanese mob, and their ‘dirty’ Pachinko business. Isak is soon a victim of this system: after being wrongfully imprisoned, he’s set free only to make him go die in his own house.

Sunja gave birth first to Noa, who’s a reflexive a studious young boy, and rebellious Mozasu, who often ends up in trouble (he will ultimately drop out of school at 16 and starts working for Goro, an honest Korean Pachinko parlors owner).

WWII happens and that's when Koh Hansu reappears. First, he takes Sunja, Kyunghee and the boys to live and work in a farm in the countryside, then he’ll bring Yangjin to live with them.

War may be over, but Yoseb is no longer able of working (he was in Nagasaki when the bomb exploded) so Sunja and Kyunghee roll up their sleeves and set up a kimchi and candy business.

1950, Osaka – 1989, Tokyo/Yokohama

Noa and Mozasu are all grown up and took two different paths: the older brother studied hard and passed the entrance exam for Waseda, a renowned University in Tokyo, while the youngest is quickly making a career in the Pachinko business. 

After he helps during the war, Koh Hansu remained in the boys and Sunja’s life, eventually leading Noa to uncover the truth about him being his biological father. Feeling betrayed and ashamed, Noa leaves University and ran away, hiding from his family (the reader will know he set in Nagano).

The final protagonist of this story will be Mozasu and his wife Yumi's son, Solomon. He’ll attend the best international school in Yokohama and will make his parents proud, graduating from New York’s Columbia University. Even if privileged, Solomon will too face prejudices and ‘racism’ as it doesn’t matter if you were born in Japan or that your first language is Japanese, once Japanese finds he’s ethnically Korean, they’ll treat him differently.  

👍👎My Thoughts

This novel reminded me a lot of Ken Follett's 'Century' trilogy, as it revolves around one family and its journey from Korea to a better life in Japan.
First things first, the historical setting: the Korean peninsula has been under the Japanese government from 1905 up until the end of WWII, in 1945.
After that and with the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and Russia it has been divided into North and South Korea, as we unfortunately know today.
This and the character's vicissitudes mixed flawlessly, making the story believable and enjoyable.

I laughed, sighed, and been in pain along with the characters and I especially liked how strong and skillful the women have been portrayed: Sunja never gives up and, with her merits and flaws, she's able to raise two good and kind-hearted boys; Noa, even when he goes M.I.A, still sends her mother money and Mozasu proves himself to be a righteous businessman, a loyal friend, and a loving husband.

Why should you read this book? Because here are described not only real-life events and social discriminations, but it teaches us that no matter what people think of us based on our background, we can always change society's perceptions in a positive way and no one should ever be ashamed of his origins.

Kdrama about the Japanese occupation in Korea

- Mr.Sunshine - my review HERE

- Bridal Mask

- Inspiring Generations

My vote: 9½/10

Ph: goodreads.com