--- product_id: 38748772 title: "Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)" price: "5525 som" currency: KGS in_stock: false reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.kg/products/38748772-pachinko-national-book-award-finalist store_origin: KG region: Kyrgyzstan --- # Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) **Price:** 5525 som **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) - **How much does it cost?** 5525 som with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.kg](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/38748772-pachinko-national-book-award-finalist) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist): 9781455563937: Lee, Min Jin: Books Review: An excellent page-turner - This book was hard to put down. One more reason to quit my day job! There are a lot of interesting multi-generational family sagas out there. However, Pachinko is at the top of the pile due to excellent writing and a unique story line. Pachinko spans the time period from 1910-1989 and follows a Korean family as they move from Korea to Japan. The story begins with Hoonie, a man born with physical deformities who is loved and nurtured by his parents. The family owns a boardinghouse. Japan has annexed Korea and times are tough. Because of difficult financial times, Hoonie is able to find a bride. Yangjin and Hoonie have a happy but hard life and are blessed with a daughter named Sunja. As a young girl, Sunja meets Koh Hansu. He is wealthy and handsome, but he is also not as he seems. They have an affair and she becomes pregnant. She makes the difficult choice to leave Korea for Japan, as the wife of one of her mother's boarders, Isak. He is a minister from Osaka who has been ill all of his life with tuberculosis. Isak and Sunja go to Japan and he raises her son, Noa, as his own. They later have a son together named Mozasu. In Japan they live with Isak's older brother and his wife. The brothers are very different. Noa is intellectual while Mozasu struggles in school. The family scrimps and saves to make sure that Noa can attend school. Mozasu is clever and ends up working in a pachinko parlor. Throughout Sunja's life, Koh Hansu is never far away and gives unwelcome interference in an effort to give his son a good life. Noa eventually discovers the truth of his birth with devastating results. Mozasu prospers, as does his family. Much much more happens in the book, but I do not want to ruin the twists and turns. Pachinko is set against the backdrop of WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. Koreans were treated as second class citizens in Japan. They had to change their names. Some Koreans were able to pass as Japanese. Those that could got better jobs and better treatment, so they guarded that secret from bosses, friends, and even spouses. After the wars, going back to Korea was often not an option. Pachinko parlors also play a major role in the book. A parlor may be shady and mob connected. Pachinko is a type of gambling game, like vertical pinball. Parlors still exist today. I Googled it! In addition to highlighting Korean history (about which I knew next to nothing), the story is very compelling. I cared about the characters, even the unlikeable ones. The book is full of tragedy, loyalty and betrayal, suffering, and triumph. But this is no fluffy beach read. The writing is lovely without being too flowery. I am still thinking about this book, though I finished it two weeks ago. I highly recommend this book and I plan to read Ms. Lee's other book, Free Food for Millionaires. Review: A solid read - good book club selection - A solid read … well written and family story told. Felt a little bit too “long winded.” Not an overly uplifting story, but definitely seemed to exemplify the challenges of being an immigrant under not always easy circumstances and showed the resilience of people. The topic of immigration is a story that continues even today - interesting topic for discussion. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #14,588 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Asian American & Pacific Islander Literature (Books) #2 in Cultural Heritage Fiction #15 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (84,561) | | Dimensions | 6.45 x 1.9 x 9.3 inches | | Edition | First Edition | | ISBN-10 | 1455563935 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1455563937 | | Item Weight | 2.31 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 496 pages | | Publication date | February 7, 2017 | | Publisher | Grand Central Publishing | ## Images ![Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81t+EjSub1L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An excellent page-turner *by S***S on July 17, 2017* This book was hard to put down. One more reason to quit my day job! There are a lot of interesting multi-generational family sagas out there. However, Pachinko is at the top of the pile due to excellent writing and a unique story line. Pachinko spans the time period from 1910-1989 and follows a Korean family as they move from Korea to Japan. The story begins with Hoonie, a man born with physical deformities who is loved and nurtured by his parents. The family owns a boardinghouse. Japan has annexed Korea and times are tough. Because of difficult financial times, Hoonie is able to find a bride. Yangjin and Hoonie have a happy but hard life and are blessed with a daughter named Sunja. As a young girl, Sunja meets Koh Hansu. He is wealthy and handsome, but he is also not as he seems. They have an affair and she becomes pregnant. She makes the difficult choice to leave Korea for Japan, as the wife of one of her mother's boarders, Isak. He is a minister from Osaka who has been ill all of his life with tuberculosis. Isak and Sunja go to Japan and he raises her son, Noa, as his own. They later have a son together named Mozasu. In Japan they live with Isak's older brother and his wife. The brothers are very different. Noa is intellectual while Mozasu struggles in school. The family scrimps and saves to make sure that Noa can attend school. Mozasu is clever and ends up working in a pachinko parlor. Throughout Sunja's life, Koh Hansu is never far away and gives unwelcome interference in an effort to give his son a good life. Noa eventually discovers the truth of his birth with devastating results. Mozasu prospers, as does his family. Much much more happens in the book, but I do not want to ruin the twists and turns. Pachinko is set against the backdrop of WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. Koreans were treated as second class citizens in Japan. They had to change their names. Some Koreans were able to pass as Japanese. Those that could got better jobs and better treatment, so they guarded that secret from bosses, friends, and even spouses. After the wars, going back to Korea was often not an option. Pachinko parlors also play a major role in the book. A parlor may be shady and mob connected. Pachinko is a type of gambling game, like vertical pinball. Parlors still exist today. I Googled it! In addition to highlighting Korean history (about which I knew next to nothing), the story is very compelling. I cared about the characters, even the unlikeable ones. The book is full of tragedy, loyalty and betrayal, suffering, and triumph. But this is no fluffy beach read. The writing is lovely without being too flowery. I am still thinking about this book, though I finished it two weeks ago. I highly recommend this book and I plan to read Ms. Lee's other book, Free Food for Millionaires. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A solid read - good book club selection *by S***N on February 28, 2026* A solid read … well written and family story told. Felt a little bit too “long winded.” Not an overly uplifting story, but definitely seemed to exemplify the challenges of being an immigrant under not always easy circumstances and showed the resilience of people. The topic of immigration is a story that continues even today - interesting topic for discussion. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enlightening, Engaging, Family Saga *by C***R on September 18, 2018* This literary tour de force is a story of family, a story of immigration, a story of politics, a story of perseverance, and, despite important and memorable male characters, it is a story of women. This saga begins in a small impoverished fishing village in what is now South Korea. Life is hard work. Our primary female character is Sunja who at the beginning of the story is a young girl working hard beside her widowed mother to run a small boarding house for poor fishermen. It is a difficult but honorable life. When Sunja becomes pregnant, she faces dishonor and disgrace. But fortune intervenes with a young tubercular Presbyterian minister who offers marriage and a move to Japan. We follow the family through persecution, through grinding poverty, through World War II, and on through the next generations. The story is both personal and sweeping. I became profoundly aware of my ignorance about Korean history and the status of Korean immigrants in Japan. It is fascinating and disturbing. There are many good reasons why this novel has received so many awards and so much recognition. With skillful writing and a solid structure, this book is very readable so the pages turn quickly. Min Jin Lee did a brilliant job weaving the very human narrative with the cultural, historical, and political details. It makes for a rich tapestry. This is a book that will stick with me. It was a good selection for our book group, and I am very glad that I read it. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.kg/products/38748772-pachinko-national-book-award-finalist](https://www.desertcart.kg/products/38748772-pachinko-national-book-award-finalist) --- *Product available on Desertcart Kyrgyzstan* *Store origin: KG* *Last updated: 2026-05-10*