Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko is Min Jin Lee's epic historical fiction novel tracing four generations of a Korean family who immigrate to Japan, confronting racism, identity, and survival across seven decades of the 20th century. A 2017 National Book Award finalist, a winner of the Medici Book Club Prize, and one of the New York Times' "Ten Best Books of 2017," it is widely regarded as one of the defining works of contemporary literary fiction — and has since been named to critical coverage' "100 Best Books of the Century." This review is based on the book's content and published critical reception, not hands-on reading.

Reviewed Aug 27, 2026