Pachinko: A peek into life in a marginalised community
Pachinko by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee (pub. 2017), is a historical novel about the plight of Koreans living in Japan (known as zainichi = zai-live-nichi-Japan).
When I lived in Japan, I was flabbergasted by the popularity of the game Pachinko. Every morning in Tokyo, I’d pass a long line of punters waiting for the local pachinko parlour to open. But I didn’t think much more about it. To me, a Pachinko parlour was just a noisy place to lose money!
This story goes behind the scenes of Pachinko revealing its connection to the underworld of yakuza and gambling. And how this world has become associated with the Korean community, since discrimination made it difficult to get ‘respectable’ jobs.
It’s a fascinating book because of the unusual subject matter. The story offers insight into how the Japanese Occupation (and defeat in WW2) affected ordinary Korean families. It tackles the discrimination met by people who moved there from Korea, trying to find a better life. And reveals the difficulties assimilating into Japanese society.
Pachinko was named one of the best 10 books of 2017 by The New York Times and is now being made into a TV series for Apple TV.
A story of struggles and discrimination
The story begins on an island near Busan during the 1930s when the country is still occupied by Japan. And we follow the lives of Sunja, her parents, her children, and her grandchildren through to the end of the 1980’s. I became invested in the characters wanting to know what would become of them all as they battled on.
As the years go by, the family faces new challenges. Going back to the motherland becomes less likely – especially for later generations born in Japan. And yet, they are not accepted as equals in Japan. It’s hard to imagine struggling to get a passport or feeling like you have no nationality. The name-calling the children face at school is heartbreaking.
Returning to Korea comes with the fear of being accused of fraternising with the enemy. Years of living in Japan might lead to accusations of being ‘less Korean’ than those ‘patriots’ who never left.
Its not surprising that the idea of starting a new life in America is seen as the answer to everyone’s problems. (Interestingly, this idea still continues in Korea today). Would it be better? Who knows. Perhaps it’s a case of the other man’s rice cake always looks bigger.
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Han: a fate that can’t be changed
The story reveals how war creates economic struggles for everyone in Japan and only the savvy can survive. But not all the problems come from outside the family. (The characters themselves note that not all Koreans are good and not all Japanese are bad!)
Some of the troubles for the family arise from self-imposed rules. They strictly maintain traditional Confucian values from home. And don’t move with the times. Even when the family suffers because of them. And this is one of the frustrating things to read! In particular, the draconian patriarchal structure means that women may not work outside the home. But this unnecessary rule causes EVEN MORE economic difficulties for the family. Sigh.
It’s heavy stuff and emotional at times.
Even in hard times, there can be humour in life. But there is no humour here. Whilst there’s often humour in Korean film and drama, (see Parasite for a recent example of dark humour), literature seems to remain stoic. I’ve talked about this before in my other book reviews. And it’s a topic I want to do more research into.
There are moments of optimism in the story. But the overall tone has a feeling of ‘han’ and the sense of a fate that can’t be changed. But still, the story drew me in. Well worth reading.
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more on Korean literature:
The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, the uplifting story of her escape from North Korea.
What is the most important post war Korean novel?
thanks for the interesting review, i got really curious about the book and will probably check it out 🙂
yes, do! I was chatting to a friend about the book recently and she said that she didn’t find the storyline that exciting. I see her point, but I think it’s the setting itself and the unusual circumstances of the characters that make this novel interesting.