1. The inciting incident in the book comes when Sunja, the daughter of a boardinghouse owner, is seduced by Hansu, the mysterious and wealthy stranger. How does that moment reverberate through the generations?

2. How does being in exile and being perceived as foreign affect how Sunja’s family members see themselves?

3. What role does shame play in the novel?

4. Sunja is told early on that “a woman’s life is endless work and suffering … For a woman, the man you marry will determine the quality of your life completely.” How do the women in this book have or not have agency? And how do they struggle to reclaim it?

5. At one point in the novel, Min Jin Lee writes: “You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let’s see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.” How does that apply to characters in the book and the larger historical events happening around them?

6. “There was more to being something than just blood,” Min Jin Lee writes. How do the characters grapple with this idea throughout the book?

7. The terms “good Korean” and “good Japanese” are used many times throughout the book. What does it mean to be a “good Korean”? A “good Japanese”?

8. “Both men had made money from chance and fear and loneliness.” What did you think of Lee’s comparison between selling life insurance and running a Pachinko parlor?

9. Compare the characters of Hansu and Isak. Which was the better father? The better provider? The better man? Do you believe that Hansu ultimately redeems himself? Is he deserving of forgiveness?

10. Compare the characters of Noa and Mozasu, how did each of them deal with their identities as Korean immigrants? Do you think the contrast says something about nature vs nurture?

11. The book’s first line reads: “History has failed us, but no matter.” Why do you think Min Jin Lee chose to begin the book this way?

12. Lee prefaces to novel with the Charles Dickens quote, "Home, is a name, is a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit answered to, in strongest conjuration." Why do you believe that Lee chose this epigraph? Do you think it is easily applicable to the novel? How does the concept of home, and belonging, evolve throughout the story?

13. Why do you think Min Jin Lee chose the title “Pachinko,” from the game common in Japan?

14. Pachinko covers a long span of time and is a rather lengthy novel. What did you think of the book’s length? If it’s too long, what would you have cut?