The Pachinko Parlor
Elisa Shua Dusapin
Feb 2023 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Hannah Choi
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Audiobook
3 hr 9 min
Unabridged
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Eligible
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About this audiobook
The days are beginning to draw in. The sky is dark by seven in the evening. I lie on the floor and gaze out of the window. Women's calves, men's shoes, heels trodden down by the weight of bodies borne for too long. It is summer in Tokyo. Claire finds herself dividing her time between tutoring twelve-year-old Mieko, in an apartment in an abandoned hotel, and lying on the floor at her grandparents': daydreaming, playing Tetris, and listening to the sounds from the street above. The heat rises; the days slip by. The plan is for Claire to visit Korea with her grandparents. They fled the civil war there over fifty years ago, along with thousands of others, and haven't been back since. When they first arrived in Japan, they opened Shiny, a pachinko parlor. Shiny is still open, drawing people in with its bright, flashing lights and promises of good fortune. And as Mieko and Claire gradually bond, a tender relationship growing, Mieko's determination to visit the pachinko parlor builds. The Pachinko Parlor is a nuanced and beguiling exploration of identity and otherness, unspoken histories, and the loneliness you can feel among family. Crisp and enigmatic, Shua Dusapin's writing glows with intelligence.
About the author
Elisa Shua Dusapin was born in France and raised in Paris, Seoul, and Switzerland. Her debut novel, Winter in Sokcho, was awarded the Prix Robert Walser, the Prix Regine Desforges, and the 2021 National Book Award for Translation.
Hannah Choi is an American actress based in Los Angeles. Her TV/film credits include appearances on ABC's How to Get Away with Murder, American Housewife, and Grand Hotel. She received her MA in acting from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the United Kingdom.
Aneesa Abbas Higgins has translated books by Venus Khoury-Ghata, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Ali Zamir, and Nina Bouraoui. Her translation of Elisa Shua Dusapin's Winter in Sokcho won the 2021 National Book Award for Translation.
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