On Min Jin Lee's PACHINKO

 

A BOOK REVIEW (Spoiler-Free) 

This book follows the story of a Korean family spanning 4 generations. Hoonie, a crippled Korean fisherman, had a daughter named Sunja, who got pregnant at an early age by a wealthy fish dealer named Koh Hansu from Osaka. However, Koh Hansu later revealed that he had a family in Japan but was still willing to keep and support Sunja and the child. She refused the offer and cut ties with him. Sunja conceived the child with the help of Baek Isak, a Christian minister who stayed in Sunja’s family boarding house. Baek Isak willingly married Sunja and promised to be a father to Noa, the child.

The couple was able to make it to Osaka and was accommodated by Baek Isak’s brother and his wife. And from there, began the life-changing journey of Sunja and the other characters in a land where they were left with no choice but to make it through each day.  

It’s a story of survival, resilience, finding a home in a foreign land where discrimination creeped in, lingered, and stung.

 

This seemingly colossal book narrates the highlights of multiple characters, which allows the readers to look at and experience different perspectives. The story’s main character is Sunja, whose values remained impeccably intact to the very last page. She could be every reader’s potential favorite, as she embodied strength as she evolved from a naïve village girl to a strong-willed woman. 

Aside from a refreshing fill of individuality from each character, the author’s writing style was this genre’s perfect match. It is rather dry and straightforward but the tone is still victorious in letting readers identify with the characters. It is apparent that this was thoroughly researched and the plot well-thought of. According to the author, Min Jin Lee, she did a lot of interviews and  tremendous study before coming up with the chronology, which is basically an intricate mosaic of stories of people she interviewed.

This novel is a treat - a whirlwind of emotions. However, towards the end, it felt a bit rushed, which I have encountered in other books too. 

In all, Pachinko is a character-driven family saga and historical fiction that documents bittersweet experiences of people who lived during the time when Japan annexed Korea. 

Do not get intimidated by the size of the book and how it’s divided into 3 parts because it’s an absolute page-turner!

Pachinko, if you’re wondering, is a slot/ pinball machine, which originated and is a famous game in Japan. This business evidently played a big part in the story as it was both their shame and holy grail.

I highly recommend it. 

Rating: 9/10

IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY: THEMES AND TAKEAWAYS

Characters (Main) 

Ko Munyeong - writer (writes children's books); anti-social

Moon Gang-tae - caregiver, spent most of his life looking after his older brother 

Moon Sang-tae - has autism; very artistic 

I'd say that this is by far the best K-drama for me, for so many reasons, some of which I might not be able to discuss here.

The series tackled several issues of human mind, and emotions that make up our life and persona as a whole. 

 

Autism

 I'd like to commend the actor who portrayed Sang-tae, Gang-tae's older brother, who was born autistic. 

Gang-tae was so pure and honest and truly talented. He was an artist and he became Ko Munyeong's book illustrator. 

He is limited, different, and charming in many ways. Even though he had a lot of struggles, his character development was something the viewers were so happy about. He evolved from a child trapped in an adult's body into a responsible adult. His character inspired me the most. 

Mental Health Issues 

This is one major reason why I like this drama so much. It gave a lot of air-time discussing some mental health issues. The audience was able to understand and empathize with the patients' situations. The series did not just focus on the 3 main characters but also on the patients of OK Psychiatric Hospital who suffered from different mental issues. 

Reconciliation with a Friend 

At first, there was tension between Nam Ju-ri and Ko Munyoung. They resented each other but if you get to know their friendship, you'll understand why they felt that way. They used to be friends until Ko Mun-young grew jealous because she didn't want Nam Ju-ri to be friends with others. 

Between  friends, confrontation is a prerequisite to reconciliation. Two must be willing to hear the other out and open one's heart.

Family Issues

The drama also had episodes where they showed different kinds of family problems - negligence, domestic violence.

A person's upbringing is a great part of who they are. The trauma that parents give their children will manifest and if the child doesn't have a strong sense of self, this trauma can damage him/ her greatly as well. 

Our children did nothing wrong. We brought them into this world and it is our responsibility to support them. 

Pursuit of Happiness 

Does it mean be after your own welfare and not really care if other people need you as long as you can chase your dreams? Shove off the obstacles along the way? Does it mean giving up your "burdens" to get going and to get to your destination faster?

Hypocrisy/ Genuineness

How could someone be sure of his words? Do we just say things because it's the right thing to say or just because those are the words the other person needs to hear at the moment? 

In this drama, "forgiveness and acceptance" was a great reverberating background. Gang-tae's decision to continue to love Ko Munyeong despite the knowledge revealed to them regarding the murder of their (brothers) mother, was easier said than done. I also asked myself if it could happen in real life. The principle behind overlooking and separating the sin and crime committed by a family member of your loved one and your stupendous love for your loved one. 

which gives way to another theme...

Separation of Mother and Child

Child is not the mother. The mother is not the child.  

Inspiration/ Aspiration

A single moment of happiness can inspire you to be the person you want to be.

Ko Munyeong wanted/ decided to become a writer not because her mom was a writer too but because her dad read to her once. She never forgot it and it was one happy memory of them together. 

Definition of Family 

Should you be blood related? Or does it mean standing by them when they need you most? 

In the series, the 3 main characters had their portrait taken as a symbol of being one family. 

You Belong to Yourself Alone 

The series reiterated that you belong to no one else but yourself. 

Parents Do not Own Their Children 

Ko Munyoung's mother was obsessed with her, her own daughter, and she was so possessive of her. She made sure she grew up like her until Ko Munyeong met Gang-tae. 

Another story was about a patient whose father forced her to give her kidney to him because he was ill. Children are not our investment. 

Real Faces

It's easy to judge a person based on what we can only see - their behavior, their appearance but we don't really know what made them that way. It's utterly essential to be kind for we would never know, maybe that small act of kindness could save a person who's almost giving up.

If ever you're planning to watch the series and you know you easily cry, please prepare tissue every episode. This series made me cry at least 16 times! 

FAMILY is a very big part of who we are. It's our foundation. If you receive the right kind of love, then that strength is something that no one can take away from you, wherever you go, whatever the situation. And if you don't have it yet, you may allow other people (may not be in your biological family tree) to teach you, show you what that is - that's how we become family with people not blood related. 

I can say that this drama has the ability to open our eyes, make us contemplate life and people more, and make us understand that it's okay to feel negative emotions and to have not so pleasant or maybe unfortunate experiences in life as long as we don't give up and not dwell in them. 

Loving yourself also means knowing your core values and honoring them. 

P.S.

Please listen to the soundtracks. 

Dear Murakami

I had the privilege to meet you 5 years ago when a friend of mine handed me her copy of Norwegian Wood. The spine of the book had folds; the pages showed some tanning, dog-eared. Giving it a shot wouldn’t hurt, I thought to myself. 

Weekend came and given the right amount of motivation and curiosity, I started reading it, unaware of the passing time. I forgot to sleep. Thanks to the soda I downed while reading. 

Apparently, people read to find answers to their questions but the moment I finished the book, it posed more questions. But in a good way. The pleasure only uncertainty and ambiguity could give. 

I had so many queries about your books that baffled me for some time but now I prefer them not answered. Maybe it’s your intention to let us, your readers, come up with our own version. Perhaps our interpretations are also based on our own realities. 

Most of my questions are rhetorical. Questions out of awe. Like how could you put into words the innermost thoughts of a person, which is a very complex living creature? The characters were realistic, if not fully. Maybe some of the qualities of your characters are extreme. Okay maybe this varies depending on the network your readers personally know. 

But one thing’s for sure: I found myself in almost every character in your books. Maybe it’s how they make their coffee, the way they quaffed their beer, the way they stammer, act dismissive, manage anxieties, muster courage and take risks. 

I became Midori, Aomame, Nakata, Fuka-eri, the cats, the toughest 15-year-old Kafka, your nameless protagonists.  

Like my friend told me the other day, you “captured her loneliness in a perfect way.” I couldn’t agree more. You made me feel we weren’t alone in our struggles. We felt understood. We became less afraid of judgment. And ultimately, you gave us a way to understand ourselves better and love the traits in us that the world didn’t care to notice. 

So I told my friend, well, Murakami is like the best thing we never knew we needed.

On Bernhard Schlink's THE READER

Wow. This book is a masterpiece. It can make you feel A LOT, even the emotions you had no inkling of. At least for me. It is a love story, a historical fiction, coming-of-age type of novel. It is a devastatingly beautiful story of two 'misfits' whose relationship was not typical and a little disturbing. Okay, perhaps, completely disturbing.
I don't have any intention to narrate the plot summary here. That is Wikipedia's job. I just want my abstract thoughts laid out.
The main character had his dilemmas, which made me ask questions like: Can you possibly choose what to feel towards a person? Is it impossible to love again with the same intensity as you did in the past? Did "the reader" feel regretful when he realized he was not responsive enough when the time demanded it?
Men can be complicated, too, by not showing enough, by not giving or saying enough. When I thought of complexity, I could picture out disorderliness, of many things. After reading this book, I've learned that complexity is not in the excessiveness of things but also in the lack of them. It is not just in the plethora of showing affection but in the dearth of it.

Will definitely reread after a few years.

On Ha Jin's IN THE POND

Done. Ha Jin is quite a storyteller. This is by far the most entertaining book I've ever read. I couldn't put it down and trust me when I say you can finish it in a day or less.
In the Pond is a satire that tells a story of a fitter, a political activist, an artist, a calligrapher, a family man, and a scholar, all in one, who fights for his rights and refuses to give way to any form of oppression.
In the thick of threatening power turned turmoil, the protagonist allows us to see what it is like to live a life filled with injustice and misery.
Despite the presence of these heavy themes, the author managed to make the story bearable to the readers by adding timely humor.