Kyunghee as narrator? Oh, yeah! She graciously welcomes a brother-in-law with his pregnant wife into her small home. I assume she is as kind and gracious in her thoughts as in her actions, but I’d like to know those thoughts. She helps raise Sunja’s boys right along with her. Does she think of them as hers too? Kim Changho loves her; Kyunghee knows it and I believe loves him too. Wouldn’t you like to know her thoughts both before and after he leaves her? Kyunghee is there for each transition in the life of the family but we know so little about her other than that she was there.
I think Min Jin Lee is trying to be fair, as expressed through Solomon:
Still, there aren’t too many good Japanese in the novel. I’d say that Lee was letting her own biases show, but considering her husband is half Japanese (as SJCM pointed out upthread), I guess that wouldn’t be fair. Re that romance, here is a short piece by Lee that I enjoyed. Good character development. 
https://lithub.com/min-jin-lee-love-in-the-new-world/
Excellent question. Since we’re talking about Hansu, I can only guess that he had some dirt on his father-in-law and used it to gain a wife who came with a nice dowry.
Hansu’s FIL was Yakuza - with a capital Y. If Hanzu threatened said FIL in any way, I don’t think he would have lived. Instead I think “like” recognized “like” and both were satisfied with what they saw.
Kyunghee sometimes seemed a little too good to be true. She seemed a little flat to me, but I get that her life was pretty boring especially since she didn’t even have a child to care for - Sunja got her out and working.
I often enjoy the books we read here, even if they don’t hold up under scrutiny. I too man baffled by all the awards, but I often feel that way about Oscar winning movies as well.
@Mary13 what a great link about Lee’s relationship with her parents when she met and wanted to marry a non- Korean!
Also, her list of Non-Koreans who helped her along the way, explains why she got very emotional, holding back tears, when she spoke in interviews about people who helped her in America, and why she wanted to treat the Japanese with balance in the book. There were caring characters in Pachinko.
Your link could not be more relevant to our current political climate, and restores my faith in the America the world used to value
Could someone explain the significance of the name of Solomon as it relates to Lee’s pivotal character. She oriniglaly wanted the novel to be about him .
I recognize he was split between two cultures, and his father was willing to let him lead a different life than Pachinko, but Is there more to it?
I’ve been at a family graduation and haven’t been able to participate in the discussion, but I read the book and don’t think it was a waste of my time. I knew there was tension between the Japanese and Koreans, but never understood why. Just wanted to add–I’m going to a book festival in two weeks and the keynote speaker is Min Jin Lee–I’ll report back to the group.
Can’t wait to hear what she has to say.
As for the name Solomon, I’m not convinced there’s any real significance besides the obvious irony that he was not wise enough to see through Kazu. I don’t think any of the Christian names of the kids are significant - though it’s perhaps mildly interesting that they are all from the Old Testament.
I thought about your question about the name of Solomon, and anything I come up with seems like a reach & reading too much meaning into it. In the end, I vote nothing more to it than a Biblical name, which was in line with the family tradition.
I was wondering about the Wisdom of Solomon, knowing the true loving mother,
Was willing to give up the baby. Weren’t many of the Parents in this story willing to allow their children to become educated, to emigrate to America, so they would have better lives. Sacrificial.
Within the next two weeks the Japanese Diet will be voting on a long awaited bill approving Casino gambling in Japan.
The Japanese market is staggering, largest in world according to tycoon Adeleson ( Sands Casino ) of Las Vegas who has visited Japan in anticipation of this approval.
This relates to our book,
Because this will decimate the pachinko industry. Japan has already put limits on pachinko payout amounts to discourage the players, and are taking gambling addiction very seriously ahead of this pivotal vote.
Osaka, is one of three cities where casinos may be built- most likely not completed until 2023.
It’s a game changer for this society with the oldest population, and dwindling population.
( as a New Jersey resident who has witnessed the economic effects of casino gambling I may find this upcoming vote in Japan more interesting than others)
When Solomon is born, everything indicates that he is Fortune’s Child. Yumi’s choice for his name is Sejong, a Korean king known for his erudition, who brought great advances in science and literacy to his kingdom. Yoseb chooses Solomon, a Biblical king, ancestor of Christ, and ruler of unsurpassed wisdom.
At his birth, we learn “The baby was strong and well.” And “On his first birthday ceremony, Solomon clutched the crisp yen note over the ink brush, string, or cakes–signifying that he would have a rich life” (p. 339).
Solomon had everything going for him, bu this early promise is not strong enough to overcome the relentless racism that leads to the loss of his job (and in a way, his girl – Phoebe leaves Japan because she “can’t breathe” and hates what Solomon has to put up with). He ends up working in Pachinko, circling back instead of moving forward. It’s like a curse.
Thanks, @SouthJerseyChessMom. Here’s a recent article from Forbes on the casino issue: https://www.forbes.com/sites/muhammadcohen/2018/05/10/just-thinking-about-casinos-hurts-japans-reeling-pachinko-parlors/#4a03bec56d4a
The article also gives some info about pachinko (plus a photo):
^ pachinko isn’t popular with the millenials and the current pachinko population is dwindling. Casinos will tap into the lucrative Chinese market.
Did anybody see @LasMa’s post on the book thread today?
Yes, I might work up the courage to listen to White Chrysanthemum.
If “blood doesn’t matter” refers to a nature vs. nurture argument, then Sunja has a point. Noa is nothing like his biological father (except in looks). His gentleness and strong moral code are a product of the home he grew up in. And as @ignatius pointed out, Hansu and his adoptive father are peas in a pod. In both cases, for good or for ill, blood doesn’t matter–the family is created through shared values (or shared criminal tendencies ).
However, if “blood doesn’t matter” refers to being accepted regardless of your ethnicity, then that is wishful thinking on Sunja’s part. The novel (and human history, for that matter) proves over and over again that if the “wrong” blood runs in your veins, you can be considered sub-human and treated as such. Blood shouldn’t matter – but it often does.
I’m not surprised that Pachinko is waning - it’s always seemed so lonely. At least when I played pinball there were always people watching and you took turns.
I agree blood shouldn’t matter, but it seems to be very hard to escape.
The Bad Blood theme starts from the very beginning, with Hooni not being a good prospect for marriage because of his cleft palate & deformed legs. Then, it’s noted that other girls Sunja’s age have gotten married already, but maybe she is not such a good prospect because of the disease that runs in her blood.
Etsuko shamed her family by her affairs and the divorce, and the reputation of her children was damaged too. Keeping with the theme, would a “good family” want to marry into a family like Etsuko’s?
Noa’s wife, Ri (?). She was tainted by her father’s causing the death of a patient and her father’s suicide. The family was marginalized as a result. Her prospects plummeted, until Noa came along. For all we know, he didn’t seem to mind that Ri’s family had this shame in it’s recent past. And yet, he cannot stand the thought of being Hansu’s biological son.
Is it just me, or does it seem like the Christians in the book are less bothered by these ideas?
I’ve got to scoot out for an appointment. Hitting Post instead of Save Draft.
I forgot about that. I’ve always thought of Noa’s suicide in terms of hurt for Sunja but to bring further shame on his wife and family seems almost inexcusable. His four children’s “prospects” definitely took a tumble. I assume that he felt strongly that his past was more damaging to them. But still … his poor wife.