@mary13 "Sunja was wearing a black wool coat when Hansu had his…romantic feelings. . "
And, that “scene” did make my “eyes roll back” waving to @ignatius
Interesting that Sunja and Solomon both had lifelong attachment/ feelings to their first romantic partners, and Sunja and Hana are at the opposite ends of female sterotypes- innocence and predator.
I learned from Lee that Koreans and Japanese are physically look very similar. I didn’t know this, and she repeatedly brought that up throughout the book
Yes, good point. And the male partners, Solomon and Hansu, are also at opposite ends of the spectrum – innocence and predator.
I found that fascinating. Often, we explain bigotry as stemming from someone looking or dressing differently from you and your family of origin (e.g., black-white race relations in the U.S., Muslims in France, etc.) This doesn’t seem to be a factor in the Japanese-Korean antagonism.
It is my understanding that Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are physically identical, and that the only differences are due to diet and life style. Someone please correct me if I am mistaken.
Regarding Hansu finding Sunja sexy in later life: Sometimes we don’t see people as they are today but we remember them as they used to be. Or, they represent something sexy to us – perhaps, in Hansu and Sunja’s case, how innocent she was back in the day and how appealing that was to Hansu.
Most people I know, both citizens or ex-pats of Japanese/Korean ancestry, would disagree and most likely take offense.
Sexual attraction is much more than based on looks alone. Perhaps Hansu was attracted to her because she reminded someone - his mother, his first crush, who knows because it was a poorly written relationship.
There’s a youtube video called How to Tell Japanese, Koreans and Chinese Apart that’s quite amusing. About halfway through this 11 minute 46 second video, the three Asian people talking in the video try to identify 18 people as being one of those nationalities. They are not particularly successful.
(I don’t think I’m allowed to post the link to the video.)
The modern generation of women in Pachinko are more sexually active, but it seems to come at a cost: Etsuko’s affairs lead to a scandal and Hana’s promiscuity leads to AIDS. Yumi seems to have a healthy sexual relationship with Mozasu…but she gets hit by a cab. It’s like some sort of Divine Retribution. Is there any woman in the story who is allowed to be happy? Or even mostly happy – for her entire life and not just a few stolen moments? I know novels are often fueled by hardship and tragedy, but I would have liked to have seen someone emerge unscathed.
I just finished The Heart’s Invisible Furies this week, immediately after reading Pachinko. (I must have gotten the idea for it here.) Would recommend.
It’s another family saga, but of an entirely different sort. The funny, memorable characters are surprising (and sometimes frustrating). I kept thinking of our protagonist as an Irish Forrest Gump. He’s there for 70 years of societal transformation. Very timely with the recent votes for liberalization in Ireland.
People who are very conservative or bothered by thoughts/descriptions of gay sex will probably not enjoy it.
@Mary13: I’m good with either of those books - actually more than good with. It was a three-way tie between those two and Pachinko last time if I remember correctly.
We usually read a long book over the summer months of June/July. So length doesn’t scare me. I’m going to list a couple duos (for length again and just because):
I read All the Light We Cannot See, but would read it again. I’m sure it would make for a good discussion.
The Brooklyn duo looks interesting. It would certainly highlight how times have changed in terms of a girl’s “coming of age.”
Here’s what we have:
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson (duet) Sunburn by Laura Lippman and a noir classic (maybe something by Elmore Leonard?) (duet) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
I remember hating * A Tree Grows in Brooklyn *, but nothing else about the book. I’m currently reading Kitchen Confidential which is pretty compelling and reading it with 20/20 hindsight I can see that he seems to have hated himself a lot of the time. One could pair it with Sweetbitter like this reviewer did. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/books/review/sweetbitter-by-stephanie-danler.html
I’m going to vote early for either The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley or The Heart’s Invisible Furies for no other reason than both tied with Pachinko last time and so deserve another chance.
I do know it’s too early to actually vote and books may come and go but my day tomorrow looks to be somewhat unpredictable. I’m good with the other choices. I have read All the Light We Cannot See but would read it again (or fake it) if it gets chosen.
Nix A Tree Grows in Brooklyn since @mathmom remembers hating it.
