Min Jin Lee’s ‘ Pachinko’ is a historical masterpiece motivated by the struggles of Korean immigrants in Japan, and frankly, the stories therein go beyond the Asian experience to touch on the general theme of immigration for all peoples and cultures.

Climax: Troubled by Akiko’s observation, Noa confronts Sunja and finds out his real father is Koh Hansu.Īlthough ‘ Pachinko’ comes out as a novel, putting together the drafts for the final manuscript entailed a lot of research and inquiries on the side of the author Min Jin Lee.Īfter releasing her first novel ‘ Free Food For Millionaires’ in 2007, Lee and her family relocated to Tokyo, Japan, that same year, and this movie presented her with the opportunity to get the needed research in the tune of interviews for her upcoming book ‘ Pachinko.’ĭespite having quite the experience of being an immigrant, Lee collected several data from actual Korean people who were living in Japan to make her final draft for ‘ Pachinko.’ Because she was writing about the experiences of Koreans in Japan, Lee knew she had to go beyond her own knowledge to incorporate those of the others who were actually living the life.

Settings: Yeongdo, Korea: Osaka, Tokyo, Japan.

Time Period: Between 19, covering Japan’s annexation of Korea and World War II.

Publication Date: 7th of February, 2017.

Inspiration: The writer’s experiences in immigrant life.

The book was nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction and came out as a finalist for its rich coverage of issues related to immigration, race, and identity. ‘ Pachinko’ by Min Jin Lee takes a good peek into the history of Korean immigrants in Japan by capturing the pristineness of their experiences in another man’s land.

Pachinko novel