A thought-provoking firecracker of a novel, which puts into perspective the true struggles facing Koreans in Japan after the second world war, and how one person’s choices can still be felt generations later.

Pachinko follows a single Korean family through four generations, between the years 1910-1989. With action and drama from the very beginning, the book has three central elements throughout: family, perseverance, and heartbreak. This creates a story which is not only addictive and heart wrenching, but also sheds light on the harsh realities which Koreans living in Japan, following the second world war, had to face.

Min Jin Lee’s writing is highly descriptive, and she captures the reader in a way that has them thinking “just one more chapter” keeping them up all night long.

The story itself may seem predictable at first, but with every passing chapter delivering a new surprise the book ends up feeling like a real life, which begins perfectly planned and is eventually moulded by the many challenges which follow suit, creating a sense of authenticity and realism, which many others have tried and failed to achieve.

All in all, this is one of those books which you wish you could read again for the first time, and without a doubt it will become a classic which everybody should read, at least once in their lifetime.