Pachinko

The critically acclaimed bestseller and finalist for the National Book Award "Pachinko" is celebrated as one of the New York Times's top reads of 2017 and chosen by Emma Watson for her Our Shared Shelf book club. Barack Obama described Min Jin Lee's work as a mesmerizing narrative that spans four generations, with each character on a journey toward finding their identity and achieving success. "Pachinko" is a compelling exploration of human resilience and empathy.The story begins in Yeongdo, Korea, in 1911, where a physically disabled man and his teenage bride become parents to their cherished daughter, Sunja. Sunja's unexpected pregnancy by a married yakuza threatens to bring disgrace upon the family. However, a Christian minister named Isak proposes a lifeline, offering her a new beginning in Japan as his wife. This decision takes Sunja to a foreign land where she knows no one and cannot communicate in the local language, marking only the outset of her remarkable journey.Over a span of eighty years and across four generations, "Pachinko" unfolds as an expansive narrative of familial ties, personal identity, deep love, inevitable loss, and enduring survival.