Pachinko - Notes

I decided to read Pachinko as it was featured in the top 10 books of this century in New York Times list, both in the reader's list and the expert's list. And it did not disappoint. I can't recollect the last time I was so hooked onto a book, eager to flip pages and read what's going to happen next. Its a 500 page book and I finished it in 10 days, which is faster than usual.

The book is about so many things and covers a lot of topics but primarily its about as Korean's. Those under colonial rule by Japan and those who moved to Japan later. It spans nearly a century and covers many themes. Its a story about resilience, love, family, hardship, war, prosperity, culture and society. What stood out for me the most is how well she showcased the shifts in society and culture as the years went by. From poverty and traditional cultural norms at the start of the 20th century to prosperity and liberal values near the end.

After reading the book, I felt a renewed appreciation for capitalism, liberalism, globalization, and anything that contributes to economic growth. The magic of the invisible hand of markets made the world richer, safer and freer for the most part. We should have annual festivals celebrating capitalism and market forces that helped shape the world we know? Yes, there are market failures and issues like climate change and animal welfare that the market ignores, yet for the average individual and me as well, we'd live in this world than the world prior generations knew.

The characters are deep and they do stand out, remaining in your memory for longer, not needing to be refreshed by the author.

Its a great book on history of Korea and Japan. I never knew Koreans were treated so harshly by the Japanese, being discriminated in jobs and housing .

Korea was also a poor nation and colonialism made it poorer. So its lovely to see them turn wealthy. Although the future seems uncertain with their lower fertility rates. The divergent political paths the north and south took also helped me appreciate democracy, liberalism and capitalism more. Given the history of discrimination why are they somewhat racist? Did they learn the behavior from their colonial past? The world of Sunja and her parents was so different that it refreshed my memory and understanding of how different my grandparents and great-grandparents world were.

Below are spoilers, so if you’re interested in reading and don’t want spoilers, please don’t read further.

The love between Hansu and Sunja is complex and interesting to me. Its the passionate relationship that developed in youth. A love at teenage. Perhaps the most beautiful and painful experience one can have. Both of them had this deep seated feeling of love, of wanting even in their old age. That's deep.

I don’t view Hansu as the villain for what he did. What about Noa? I can’t relate to having the shame of having a certain background or family history leading to suicide. Why kill ? Doesn’t his new family give him renewed purpose and hope ?

I also liked the contrasting historical change within around 50 years. Sunja was pregnant as a young woman and couldn’t do anything about it while Hana 50 years later gets pregnant as a teenager and can have an abortion. Would Sunja have done the same thing?