Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)

Pachinko follows four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family navigating life in 20th-century Japan. The story begins in the early 1900s when Sunja, a teenage girl living in Korea, becomes pregnant by a wealthy stranger who is already married. Rather than accept his offer of money, she marries a gentle, sickly minister traveling to Japan. Her decision to leave Korea and reject her son's biological father sets in motion a saga that affects her descendants for decades. The narrative spans from Korean coastal villages to Japanese street markets, universities, and pachinko parlors. It centers on complex characters—resilient women, devoted sisters and sons, and fathers facing moral dilemmas—as they work to shape their own futures against historical forces beyond their control. The novel explores themes of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty across generations.