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"� there could only be a few winners and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones. How could you get angry at the ones who wanted to be in the game?... Pachinko was a foolish game, but life was not."

I hadn’t really understood exactly what pachinko was before reading this novel. This book and Wikipedia have educated me on the topic. The way I envision pachinko is as a cross between a pinball machine and a slot machine. It’s a gambling game, where the odds may be fixed and the results controlled by outside hands rather than by those actually operating the handle. But folks will return again and again and spend hours in front of this parlor game with the hope of winning the big one. Pachinko can also be likened to the lives of the numerous characters that populate this generational family saga and historical fiction novel. They make choices, they pull the lever if you will, sometimes controlling what happens to them, but very often affected by the outside influences of others, especially those with more power. Some of the characters in this book work for or run pachinko parlors, but the reader spends very little time in these gaming facilities –I would have been running in the other direction otherwise!

What this book does provide us with is a rich story about a family that finds its roots in Korea during the early 1900s and straight through to late 1980s Japan. I love learning about countries and cultures of which I know nothing or very little. This book did not disappoint in that aspect. Much of this is heartbreaking, frustrating, and even maddening � due to the multiple injustices suffered by this Korean family both in their home country under colonial rule by Japan, as well as in Japan where they emigrated in search of more opportunities, safety and security. What they often found there was hatred and racial prejudices. They faced identity crises that some were able to rise above and others were not fortunate enough to overcome. I didn’t realize that the Korean people that moved to Japan during those years suffered to such an outrageous and unbearable extent. They were often discriminated against in the workplace, receiving lower wages than their Japanese counterparts. They were called names, considered lazy, even referred to frequently as criminals. Their living conditions were run-down. Children were bullied in their schools. The only alternative to these conditions seemed to be to return to Korea � but this means of escape was even worse following World War II with the widespread starvation and the introduction of communism in the north. So, the family remained in Japan and made a life, despite the oppression and limitations they faced.

This book was rather hefty, but I never tired of it. I did learn so much about the culture, the politics (though not heavy-handed), and a bit of the history of both Korea and Japan. There were many characters as the novel covers a lengthy span of time, but I never grew confused. I did feel a bit of a distancing from the characters themselves, and they were not quite multilayered enough. I savor wonderfully complex characters. One character, a young man named Noa, may have fit the bill here, but a couple more multidimensional individuals may have enriched this aspect of the book a bit more for me personally. However, I did feel much sympathy towards many of the family; their struggles were real and quite believable. I most admired the women who fought so hard for their families, their children, and worked tirelessly to survive and make ends meet. They were resourceful and brave despite their very quiet and unobtrusive bearing. The last two-thirds to one-fourth of the novel felt a bit more rushed and I was slightly less invested in the storylines of these characters than I was in those initial players. However, I found this to be very well-written, educational and engaging so I can’t really give Pachinko less than 4 stars. Recommended if you are a fan of epic family stories, immigrant struggles, and/or historical fiction. I would be more than happy to read more of Min Jin Lee in the future.

"Living every day in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage."