Pachinko - Book Review

(11 of 2021)

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Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

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At the cost of repetition, nonfiction is macros for me, fiction is micros. Community vs individual. Statistics vs emotions. Call me partial, but latter is what I enjoy.

Pachinko is a story of four such generations of Koreans who migrate to Japan during the Second World War.

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Starting from Yangjin and Hoonie giving birth to Sunja in Yeongdo, Korea and her journey to Osaka, Japan, the story transcends through the life of her children Noa and Mozasu and ends at the fourth generation represented by Solomon.

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It was a long winded novel spanning over 79 years. It had to. Because it represents how the feelings towards motherland change with the passage of time and change in political and economic status.

Where Yangjin never accepts Japan as her own, Solomon can never dream of embracing Korea. This book is a must read for expatriates struggling with the dilemma of their next Gen being engulfed by the 'foreign' country.

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Painful but true, I'd call this book well researched and insightful.

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They may find it bad luck, but 4/5 it is.

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#anamslibrary #anamsreview #nerdfest #pachinko #korean #japanese #minjinlee #latepost

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