Just finished Homegoing? Next up read Pachinko…
If Yaa Gyasi's intricate tapestry of lives touched by colonialism's shadow left you craving more stories that weave personal struggles into broader historical currents, then Min Jin Lee's Pachinko is your perfect next read. Like Homegoing, this novel follows a family across generations, but instead of tracing the Atlantic slave trade's reverberations, it captures the quiet violences of discrimination faced by Korean immigrants in Japan.
"Hello Min! I bought Pachinko for my mother at Christmas and she adored it! Can you give any insight into your writing process?"— cyberine, Reddit
Beginning with Sunja, a young Korean woman whose choices ripple through her descendants as they navigate life in Japan during and after the empire's brutal occupation, Pachinko spans from the early 20th century to the 1980s. Much like Gyasi's protagonists who confront the legacies of slavery and diaspora, Lee's characters grapple with identity in a hostile world, where they face the weight of unspoken histories and the small acts of defiance that preserve dignity in the face of erasure.
What makes Pachinko resonate so powerfully with Homegoing readers is its bittersweet tone that blends moments of profound loss with glimmers of hope and cultural reclamation. Lee avoids melodrama, instead offering quiet insights into the immigrant experience that feel both intimate and epic—the same emotional register that made Gyasi's work so compelling.
Unbreakable Bonds of Survival
"Hi Min! SO glad to see you here! *Pachinko* was an absolutely thrilling read; as a half-Japanese woman raised in Hawaii, I found myself both connected and divided with a lot of the themes presented in your piece. I’m looking forward to your talk on April 10th at the Kinokuniya bookstore in Manhattan!"— raesfloorplan, Reddit
Both novels excel at humanizing the overlooked victims of history, inviting reflection on how past injustices continue to shape present identities. Where Homegoing explored how empire and migration fracture families yet forge unbreakable bonds through the African diaspora, Pachinko reveals similar truths about Korean families navigating Japanese colonialism and its aftermath. The result is a story that captures the subtle strengths that bind generations amid adversity, making it an essential read for anyone moved by stories of resilience against systemic oppression.
