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Author: Min Jin Lee
Genre: Historical fiction
Language: English
Slowly but steadily I acquired a taste for historical fictions. Until Pachinko happened I knew nothing about Japan-occupied Korea.
The story follows life of Sunja who becomes pregnant at 17 by an older married man with Japanese wife and three children. A young priest Isak falls sick on the way to Japan while staying at an inn run by Sunja's mother. Mother-daughter duo nurse him back to health. Hearing about Sunja's situation, Isak promises to marry her and takes her to Japan with an assurance of good life. But he is soon arrested by Japan law enforcement for practicing his faith in Japan as a Korean. Sunja and her sister-in-law take charge of the situation to run the household. However, destiny had different plans for them.
This multi-generational book spans between 1910 to 1989. It deals with imperial Japan's colonization of Korea, discrimination, racism, horrors of World War II, traditions, family dynamics and above all perseverance to move on with life despite all the hardship they have to go through.
And Pachinko is a Japanese gambling game played on a vertical pinball like machine. To see the reference one must read the book.
A wonderful read of the year.
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