2023 has been the year that I’ve FINALLY read Pachinko! It’s been on my shelves since it was first released and despite the rave reviews, I’ve kept it hidden away, worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype. Let me tell you, it deserves every word of that praise, and if like me, you’ve been putting it off too, I strongly urge you to reconsider! Set in the 1900’s the narrative begins with a focus on teenager Sunja who falls in love with a stranger on the seashore of her home in Korea. Her world is turned upside down when she finds out she is pregnant and her lover is married. However, she is saved by a gentleman staying at her mother’s boarding house, passing through on his way to Japan who offers to marry her and raise her child as his own. Sunja rejects her son’s biological father who is both wealthy and powerful and travels with her new husband to Japan. This sets of a host of unforeseen consequences for her family as the story continues to unfold under the difficulties of being Korean and impoverished in a Japanese town. I love a book with an epic family saga at the heart of the story. You see the characters over so many years and then follow their children and learn how their lives have been affected by the actions of the previous generation. It was a beautiful portrayal of struggle, family dynamics and the darker side of human nature when success and wealth are placed within reach. By the time I finished Pachinko, I really felt as if I had been on the same journey as our characters, as a quiet observer in the same room. I felt the pain, the suffering, the hope and the dogged determination within the family to build better lives and succeed amidst multiple obstacles. Can’t wait to read whatever Min Jin Lee writes next! #bookstagramuk #scottishbookstagrammer #readingmybacklist #pachinko #minjinleepachinko #koreancharacters #reviewingbooksonthegram #fivestarreads2023 #historicalfictionreaders #unforgettablereads #1900sjapan #beautifulbooksandideas https://www.instagram.com/p/CpatS56rtns/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=