"In fourteenth-century Japan, amid a civil war, a mother and daughter trap and kill soldiers, steal their possessions, and trade them for food. Then it gets weird. Hikaru Hayashi’s sparse soundtrack is all taiko drums, horn blasts, and guttural yelling. Perfect."

"All of Japan is in this book. A true marvel. Set at the Emperor’s court during the 10th century, a woman takes notes and becomes our contemporary. I could have performed that woman. I feel very close to Mizoguchi and Ozu’s actresses."

"The master of the haiku wrote this travelogue of his journey through northern Japan in the 17th century. Everywhere he went he composed a poem and connected his work to his cultural heritage, his spiritual life and, most of all, nature. A riveting meditation."

"I’ve read everything he’s ever published, but this one is still my favorite. Weirdly, it’s about his experience quitting smoking. I’m not a smoker but I think about the way he talks about addiction every day. And it’s mostly set in Japan, my favorite place on earth. "

"Pachinko is the novel I tell anyone who will listen about. It is a multigenerational, sweeping saga of Koreans in Japan. The prose is as edifying as it is absorbing. There are no easy, convenient endings for any of these characters but my goodness, how richly Min Jin Lee renders their lives."

"Pachinko” is the novel I tell anyone who will listen about. It is a multigenerational, sweeping saga of Koreans in Japan. The prose is as edifying as it is absorbing. There are no easy, convenient endings for any of these characters but my goodness, how richly Min Jin Lee renders their lives."