The Pachinko Parlour by  Elisa Shua Dusapin

The Pachinko Parlour

Elisa Shua Dusapin

The simplicity of language reveals Claire’s soul - finding her way as a new adult, but filled with devotion to her grandparents and determined to make their nostalgic dream of revisiting Korea a reality. Her conflicting emotions are no surprise – but the journey inside the mind of this young woman, struggling to reconcile the different cultures of her upbringing, make for an affecting and rewarding read.

Extract

Later in the evening, I go online, do some searching. September is the best time of year to visit Korea. Ferries go from Fukuoka in southern Japan to Busan. Night crossings are less expensive but they're slow. There are faster ones that only take three hours. We'll book one of those. And then what? Should we stop in Busan for the night to break the journey? Or would it be better to do it all in one day? My grandparents will be tired, but I want to make the most of the time we have there. I google 'port of Busan' and images of bridges pop up. It seems there are several in the bay. The largest is shown from various angles. Ships sail beneath it. An enormous bridge. The first thing you see when you arrive from Japan by sea. It's visible from a long way off, lit up at night like a bow and arrow aimed at the moon.

Parallels
  • Mr Foreigner by Matthew Kneale
  • Never Far From Nowhere by Andrea Levy
  • The Curriculum Vitae of Aurora Ortiz by Almudena Solana