Pachinko in Reading with Namjoon

Jan 16, 2023 Antoinette rated it it was amazing

In the last few pages the question of "should the sons be made aware of their mothers suffering?" is one which I feel like is the sub question of "do women only suffer?". Neither fully get a black or white answer, but much more a calm explanation of life and how it is so much like the game pachinko. The book does not take a one answer is the right one, but much more leaves it up to the reader to draw their own conclusions as the story is presented to them. Even on religion, a big theme in the bo In the last few pages the question of "should the sons be made aware of their mothers suffering?" is one which I feel like is the sub question of "do women only suffer?". Neither fully get a black or white answer, but much more a calm explanation of life and how it is so much like the game pachinko. The book does not take a one answer is the right one, but much more leaves it up to the reader to draw their own conclusions as the story is presented to them. Even on religion, a big theme in the book, the reader has a varied views of it and one does not feel overwhelmed or forced to agree - simply listen and absorb.

Pachinko in the sense tells a simple story of four generations of humans navigating a world of fast change, conflict and many choices. It also tells a story of how a woman's place in society changes, even though it seems still unmoving to others or simply put - how traditional men, rarely put aside their pride to have things easier. The pages reveal how religion can play a huge roll in ones life and a minor in another, while money always plays a leading roll and how earning it somehow puts an invisible stamp onto you however honest.

Finally it is simply put a story of generations having to deal with the previous ones choices and their own generations expectations.

I liked how it was broken down in litcharts:
-Survival and Family
-Imperialism, Resistance, and Compromise
-Identity, Blood, and Contamination
-Love, Motherhood, and Women’s Choices

I would add that religion is apart of the story, but maybe not a theme per say. It is presented as thoughts, ideas and stories - philosophical ponderings even.

Beyond this is a discussion of some characters - if you consider it spoilers, don't read on.

I feel like Sunja is a sense is the wonderful combination of her parents, who in her naïve simple worldview makes one "mistake" that ends up haunting her her whole life. Truthfully Sunjas mother later on seemed to fully deny having been apart of her own childs "bad" choice, when she should have put emphasis on teaching her child about men and what she should never do. Yet I feel like in at the start their world is supposed to be small and with everything that happens it is forcefully broadened. Generally I liked Sunja and her character was deeply logical, grew in her own right and also the world effects on her clearly ended up being permanent. Her inner life is complex, but she is aware of her surroundings and situation - the small moments she shows character it is punished, so she keeps her big world to herself. She lived for her sons and that is fair.
Hansu to me is for now the most ideal description of a deeply grey character, who you can't fully hate and yet not like either. In a way he is Sunjas guardian angle, but also the one who brings huge destruction into her life. I liked how throughout the book you knew he was not a good man, whatever it meant, but clearly had fondness for Sunja and would do whatever to keep her safe. However when he did not need to keep a certain mask on for Sunja, you could see he was brutal and vicious. A man, who you wouldn't cross and yet also wouldn't love easily either.
Isak is a beautiful character, but naïve and seemed to never fully learn to be careful - I think his childhood spent in a bubble never allowed him to be faced with the cruel world. And the beautiful thing is his words, teachings and acts would never had such a touch to them if he did - Isak was meant to represent the good in people and how such good does not last without sever protection. It was obvious his life affected his families for a long time.
Yoseb is the definition of being stuck in the past even if it hurt him, while his wife was kind and modern which saved their household. I think the pair was a balanced one and Kyunghee was another light throughout the book even though life was not kind to her. She was smarter than the brothers for sure and survived because of it - her kindness had limits, once she had been fooled, and her ability to move with the times kept her alive.
Noa as a young boy seems very mannered and bright, though clearly someone with a defined moral compass and very highly strung. Personally I feel like the fact that the high praise he received was never balanced out with the hardships he faced, leaving him with a very stark view of the world. That impaired him to look beyond the English novels he read and choices his family had to make - fundamentally being also in a bubble like his dad, but life wouldn't allow him to be as protected by it.
Mozasu is hands down my favorite in the book, which is why when you spend more time with him the more you want to learn about him. In a sense he comes out the most unharmed from generational trauma and social class limits, which helps him to simply live instead of trying to work off previous burdens.
I won't go over every character, but those I mentioned had a complex beautiful theme and also were actually likable in their own way. Now three characters I could not stand were sadly the girlfriends of Noa and Mozasu - Akiko, Hana and Phoebe. As womanhood is a theme in this book, they for me defined self righteousness and the illusion of being open minded while really they had internalized a lot of hate. Akiko especially to me seemed like she was so convinced she was always in the moral right as she compared herself to her family not the rest of the world. The way she acts with Noa is like a petulant child and Noa having the backbone to dump her was magical. Hana honestly seemed oddly vindictive and self destructive, which in a sense does get a reason why and yet I couldn't seem to find sympathy for her. Phoebe is the last one I honestly couldn't muster up much understanding for, especially since she didn't seem to want to even engage with her own roots or change her point of view. Even the book sees her more as American, than Korean American which I found interesting. In a way she represented a generation, who had heritage and roots from Asia, but the cord tying them to back to their homeland had been cut. ...more

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Jun 09, 2023 Maria rated it liked it

This book follows one Korean family throughout four generations and explains the dark history with Japan. I read it because a friend recommended it, it was on sale and I bought it. I knew very little about Japanese and Korean history other than it is painful. This really opened my eyes to the length of pain for Koreans living in Japan. I wish we had spent time in history learning more about Asian history as well (I'm hoping that students now are getting to learn World history and not just Wester ...more

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