Pachinko

Min Jin Lee's Pachinko spans many decades in the life of a Korean family.

In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.

The depth of this novel is the strength of the character development set amongst the backdrop of the World War II and the Korean War. It's a novel about cultural identity, discrimination, motherhood, parenting, sibling relationships, family devotion, and hope for the future.

We get to know Sunja in Korean but then follow her and her new husband as they settle in Osaka. Sunja and Isak live with Isak's brother and sister-in-law. The two sisters-in-law bond and develop a closeness that is enviable. We follow the family through the years, until the 1960s. I loved the way the novel unfolded. That's why I'm not going to say anything more about the storyline. I'd hate to give anything away.

Historical markers in the history of Korea are ever present. It made me realize how little of this history I know. And most of what I did learn, I learned from former Korean students of mine. I never realized, though, how difficult the lives of Koreans were. People without a country. I plan to read up more on the history of Korea before our community book club meeting. I'm very excited that one of our Korean book club members plans to attend our next meeting. I think she'll be able to add a lot of perspective to our discussion.

This book is highly acclaimed and came highly recommended to our book club. I think it's a perfect book for a book club to discuss.

All the Rivers

This novel, All the Rivers, was recommended to me by a member of my newly formed Jewish book club, part of synagogue continuing education program. In this novel, Dorit Rabinyan tells the story of Israeli Liat and Palestinian Hilmi who meet and fall in love. In New York. Far away from home.

I need to be honest and say that my feelings on the Israel/Palestinian issue are just that feelings. That come from my gut. And don't necessarily come from facts. I believe that put me in a position to read this book in a slightly different frame of mind whose thoughts on the issue come from a study of the facts.

The book takes place in New York City, in 2003, in the aftermath of 9/11. Although that really doesn't come into play in the novel at all. It's referenced but has nothing to do with the storyline at all.

Hilmi is sent to a coffee shop to let Liat know that a friend of hers isn't able to meet for coffee. The story evolves, their relationship strengthens. But in Liat's mind, the romance is temporary. How could a relationship between an Israeli and a Palestinian be anything more? We follow along and get deeper into the internal (and sometimes external) conflicts that face Liat as she weighs in on her connection to Hilmi.

Much of what she experiences I understood. But there were so many nuanced considerations that I never would have even imagined. In all of my wonderings about the Israel/Palestine issue (is that too weak a term to keep using?), there were so many things brought up in the novel that I really never considered. I never thought about how vastly different the lives of Palestinians might be from Israelis beyond the having to cross a border to get to work.

I came to no conclusions by the end of the novel. I do look forward to discussing it with the group in April.

Honeymoon in Paris

Honeymoon in Paris was written as the prequel novella to The Girl You Left Behind, for those who were really anxious to get a head start on the Jojo Moyes novel. I read it afterwards. And I guess I'm glad I did.

The characters of Sophie and Liv were particularly unlikeable to me in this "honeymoon" appetizer to the main course. I think if I'd read this first, I wouldn't have gone on to read The Girl You Left Behind, and that would have been a shame. I really enjoyed The Girl You Left Behind.

Maybe because I didn't like this novella, I'm finding it impossible to write a review without giving lots of both books away. Suffice it to say, this was a waste of a reading day. The only saving grace was that it only took one day to read.