Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American author based in Harlem, New York City; her work frequently deals with the Korean diaspora. She is best known for writing Free Food for Millionaires (2007) and Pachinko (2017), a finalist for the National Book Award, and runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. In 2019, Lee became a writer-in-residence at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Her third novel in her Korean quartet, titled American Hagwon, was released on September 29, 2026.
Original publication
2026
Average rating
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Opening Excerpt
From the storyIn less than twenty-four hours, he would take the Suneung again, and, for the past three years, he had done little but sleep, eat, and study for this exam.
Story Vibe & Style Profile
Emotional Weight
4.0 / 5
Bittersweet
Narrative Pacing
2.8 / 5
Deliberate
Literary Style
1.7 / 5
Direct & Minimalist
Speculative / Reality
1.3 / 5
Realistic / Mimetic
Appearances
The New Yorker
The New Yorker July 27, 2026 · Jul 27, 2026
About the Author
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