Pachinko Book Club Post #2
Added 2022-03-08 19:00:05 +0000 UTCChapters 15-28
1) How is Sunja's life better in Osaka? How is it worse?
2) Thoughts on Yoseb's attitudes toward Kyunghee working? Obviously, it's not great--I'm more curious on if you see anything sympathetic in his thought process, even if it's 100% anti-feminist and patriarchal.
3) Thoughts on Yoseb's choice of the name Noa "“because he obeyed and did what the Lord asked […] because he believed when it was impossible to do so.”
I just find Yoseb an interesting character okay? LOLOLOL. He wants to care for his family. It's literally ALL he wants. And yet he can't be paid fair wages and is constantly denied the ability to be a provider.
4) We get a six year time jump. How do you feel about time jumps in stories? Do they work for you, or do you get annoyed?
5) Neither resistance nor compromise seems like a tenable option for the working class Koreans struggling under Japanese imperial pressures. Thoughts on Isak's imprisonment? Pastor Yoo's views towards his flock?
6) Can we all just take a moment to acknowledge what a bad ass Sunja is on a daily basis? Do you like her character or not? I clearly am on Team Like LOLOLOLOL. But open to your opinions!
7) Another time jump. Do you feel as if Noa is internalizing the racism levied against Koreans on a daily basis? How do you think it's going to impact him being constantly pulled at by two worlds?
8) Was Isak's death noble? Pointless? Something else?
9) Dun dun dun. We find out Han-su never has really left Sunja alone. Thoughts on the fact he's lingered in her life like a silent partner?
Comments
I also feel like the deaths were fairly abrupt and then "brushed over." That maybe isn't the right sentiment as they weren't flippant, but I dunno. I felt they needed more breathing room. It's very interesting to see what this author dives into in detail and what she just casually mentions. I wonder if it was a purposeful commentary on the fact that they really didn't have the luxury of dwelling on tragedy for long. Life needed to move forward always.
Becky
2022-03-12 16:14:33 +0000 UTC1. How is Sunja's life better in Osaka? How is it worse? She was from a respected working-class home, and while life was hard on Yeongdo, it was idyllic compared to Osaka. But if she had remained in Korea, her status, and possibly the status of her mother, would have taken a blow due to the pregnancy. Plus, we learned that after she moved, many Koreans, including her mother, lost much of what they owned. It was a lose – lose situation. 2 & 3. Thoughts on Yoseb's attitudes toward Kyunghee working? Thoughts on Yoseb's choice of the name Noa "“because he obeyed and did what the Lord asked […] because he believed when it was impossible to do so.” I know it was a different culture and a different time, but I had no sympathy for Yoseb and his shriveling nuts. MAYBE on some level he believed keeping Kyunghee from working helped to keep her safe, but how safe is she when debt collectors are showing up at the door. Regarding the name, while I like the name Noa, I hated Yoseb’s reason for choosing it. He meant it as an insult to Sunja for independently deciding to go to the pawnbroker and sell the pocket watch (HER pocket watch)! Sorry – I know some folks liked Yoseb, but I'm still at the stage where I want to punch him. 4. We get a six year time jump. How do you feel about time jumps in stories? Do they work for you, or do you get annoyed? I didn’t feel like anything was lost by jumping ahead those 6 years. I kind of appreciated that the author quickly moved the story forward to the years for WWII, since we knew it was coming. While I was okay with the time jump, I was annoyed that the author spent so little time on the deaths of certain characters. Hoonie got TB and died in a single sentence; Isak’s death was mentioned in passing. They were important characters, so I wanted to be there with them when they died. Is that weird? 6. Can we all just take a moment to acknowledge what a bad ass Sunja is on a daily basis? Do you like her character or not? I clearly am on Team Like LOLOLOLOL. But open to your opinions! I loved Sunja – especially when she stood her ground against the pawnbroker and even Han-su. While she didn’t actively stand up to Yoseb, she continued to do what was needed to support her family. 9. Dun dun dun. We find out Han-su never has really left Sunja alone. Thoughts on the fact he's lingered in her life like a silent partner? I think helping Sunja was the least Han-su could do, but at the same time, I felt like his interventions were somewhat manipulative and controlling. He knew he couldn’t have her, so he settled for keeping her nearby and relatively safe. Once it was revealed that he had been keeping an eye on her for 11 years – I wondered why he didn’t step in to help Isak. Han-su had resources and connections – surely he could have helped to get Isak out of jail. I think Han-su wanted to believe that looking out for Sunja redeemed him, but at this point in the story, I haven’t forgiven him – and more importantly, Sunja hasn’t either.
Kathi
2022-03-12 06:56:25 +0000 UTCHmm. Now that you say that, I see what you mean. It feels like none of these relationships have romance. Even the love that clearly exists in all of them is delivered quite practically.
Becky
2022-03-08 22:32:58 +0000 UTCWhen we see how invested Han-su has been...it's a lot to process. But I feel like the author just REALLLLY doesn't want us to view him romantically...even though he is romantic in many ways. The plot just keeps being like no! stop that! get it together! lolol
Megan Erickson
2022-03-08 22:21:25 +0000 UTCThe first time I read this, Yoseb made me wall-punch big mad over and over. This time, I he frustrates me and there is so much toxic masculinity, but I also feel more sympathetic too. He was raised with clear societal expectations of how a "real man" should be...and he is thwarted at every turn. I find myself having more pity this go around.
Megan Erickson
2022-03-08 22:20:24 +0000 UTCI'm halfway answering a few of the questions in one lump: Sunja is amazing and I CAN'T BELIEVE Han-su has been paying attention this whole time. He fascinates me. I feel like each character is doing one main thing to hold on to their sense of dignity and Korean identity. I wrote about Yoseb's thing above. I think Sunja's thing is caring for her children. Han-su's is Sunja. I think he might say it's his son, Noa, but somehow I think it's Sunja herself. Maybe she embodies some or all of who he wishes he actually was. Noa is holding on to his intelligence/school (will that work? EEK. I fear not.) Isak's thing is the church. His death wasn't noble to me.
Becky
2022-03-08 21:30:10 +0000 UTCYoseb's thinking aggravates me because I feel like he gets in the way of his family's financial stability with his strict thinking, but at the same time I can see that he just needs one thing he can control and hold on to. He needs something to give him a sense of dignity and pride. Under other circumstances I would find him completely unacceptable (and I have a feeling he would still act this way under other circumstances). But within the current constraints I sorta get it.
Becky
2022-03-08 21:24:06 +0000 UTC
