I just finished listening to the audio recording of Pachinko this week. It is just over 18 hours (or 512 pages if you are reading). I saw Apple TV has a show on this and I wanted to read/listen to the book before I watched it.
The book is the story of 4 generations of a Korean family that emigrated to Japan in the early 1900s after Japan had invaded and taken over Korea. It started off a little slow for me, but then captivated me. I admit there was one time I was so enmeshed in the book that at the point when one of the characters dies, I was absolutely shaken, and had to stop listening for a bit. That rarely happens to me. It was interesting to see how different individuals dealt differently with being an unwelcome immigrant. It was also interesting to learn a bit about how different Japanese characters reacted and interreacted both positively and negatively with Korean immigrants. After WWII the question of whether to return to Korea or not was a question and thus the question of how we define home is raised up. The book depicts how class and professions often identify us in society. It shows how the consequences of actions have repercussions beyond just ourselves and beyond just our generation. It is easy to see how actions beyond our control impact us. It raises the question about what is love, and what is family and how different people come away with different answers.
I tend to like sweeping dramas showing cross cultural currents with history as a backdrop. This book provided all that for me and more.
