Pachinko

Such an absorbing saga! Pachinko follows an extended family from occupied Korea in 1910 to Japan in 1989, where even those born there were not considered citizens and had South Korean passports - essentially leaving them a foreigner in every land. Author Min Jin Lee deftly navigates the human condition and all its complexity. I know that's quite a statement, but I stand by it. It's haunting me even now, recalling her poignant dealing of such universal issues as limited opportunities based on deep cultural bias, how our choices can be what ruins our lives but in some ways also results in our greatest joy, the way guilt and blame can devastate, how resilient people can be, in spite of it all. I loved the conversations between characters hashing out different perspectives, without being preachy or absolute. I could go on and on, because she tucked so much nuance into every corner.

Personally, I felt connected in that I lived in Japan for a year in 1989/90, teaching English after I graduated high school. I remember being aware that Koreans were second-class citizens but not having any real grasp of the issue. I also never went to a pachinko parlor there. I chose this book because the author will be speaking at a writer convention I'm attending next week. Good book. Hai. Soo desu, nee? Dozo.

Page 54:  "You're too healthy to be in bed," the pharmacist said. "But don't get up just yet."

Page 117:  Sins couldn't be laundered by good results. 

Page 178:  For every patriot fighting for a free Korea, or for any unlucky Korean bastard fighting on behalf of Japan, there were ten thousand compatriots on the ground and elsewhere who were just trying to eat. In the end, your belly was your emperor. 

Page 248:  At lunchtime, Haruki sat at the end of the long table with two seat gaps around him like an invisible parenthesis while the other boys in their dark woolen uniforms stuck together like a tight row of black corn kernels. 

The chapter on pages 279-284, showing those young adult time of discovery and how a person can be challenged to a richer, fuller understanding by being confronted by different perspectives. 

Page 296-7:  His Presbyterian minister father had believed in a divine design and Mozasu believed that life was like this game where the player could adjust the dials yet also expect the uncertainty of factors he couldn't control. He understood why his customers wanted to play something that looked fixed but which also left room for randomness and hope. 

Page 399: Etsuko held the watch case in her hands and wondered how they'd stayed together with him not giving up and her not giving in. 

The chapter on pages 416-422, showing the fraught and complicated relationship of mother and child,. How we hurt those we love the most. 

Page 478:  Phoebe's shoes were black or brown leather; a pair of pink espadrilles, which had once given her terrible blisters, stood out from the others like a girlish mistake.