Almond: A Novel

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So you must not have been scared when Gon hit you. But you do know that doesn’t mean you were brave, right? I’m already very curious about this book and I’ll actually buddy read it with my dear BookTube friend Katja! Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother aren’t fazed by his condition. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say “thank you,” and when to laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, with his small family in this quiet, peaceful space. Los mensajes sobre el amor y la ausencia del mismo me parecieron muy profundas. Sin olvidarnos de la reflexión mas importante: Un niño que ignora las tragedias ajenas por su falta emociones causará mucho más impacto aún cuando toda la población también está acostumbrada a ignorarlas.

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, Sandy Joosun Lee | Waterstones

Yunjae lives with his grandmother and mother in a small apartment, at the front of which is his mother’s secondhand bookstore. Both of his caregivers dedicate their energy to creating a space that encourages and reminds Yunjae how to react in everyday situations. His mother prints out each hanja for happiness, sadness, anger, love, joy, and desire, on letter-sized paper, one big character per sheet, which his grandmother then traces. They place them all over the house for Yunjae to learn from and remember. After some instances at school begin to signal to his peers that Yunjae is not normal, his mother coaches him about various scenarios and the appropriate ways to respond: “ Thanks to Mom’s persistent efforts and my mandatory daily training, I slowly learned to get along at school without too much trouble. By the time I was in fourth grade, I had managed to blend in, making Mom’s dream come true.” I loved this book. It’s totally “my type”. It was perfect. Such a thought provoking beautiful story that made me feel so much. I’d probably be reading it again soon. Also, I couldn’t tell exactly why, but I teared up a little in the end.I'm still not sure what to think of Dora. To some extent, I feel like she was necessary but at the same time, I think her sudden apperance took away too much from the main plot.

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The whole rebellious kid ( You’re stupid because you know too much) having a heart of gold when he is finally “seen” in by an outsider is for instance something that I have see much too often. He does have good quotes, like: If I can’t protect myself from being hurt I rather hurt other people. but he is really a bad boy as well, as animal abuse needs to drive home to the reader. Granny hugged me so tight my ribs hurt. She always called me a monster. To her, that wasn’t a bad thing. No os pasa que leéis un libro y pensáis: "Ojalá habérmelo leído cuando era adolescente"? Almendra es ESE libro para mí. I really enjoyed this one and it definitely made me think a lot about people and their emotions. Yunjae was an interesting MC and I really liked how he tried to understand the people around him. The way certain scenes and characters were described was very intriguing and to see everything through Yunjae’s eyes gave this a unique perspective. Given that the hero, Yunjae, has so much difficulty with empathy and relating to others, he often attracts negative attention. One day, this attention comes from a juvenile delinquent named Gon, who has a whole bunch of his own problems, one of which brings him into the sphere of Yunjae in the first place. As you learn more about them, their bond becomes one of contrasts: Yunjae is a "good boy" who feels nothing at all; Gon is a "bad boy" who feels far too much. Yunjae has no empathy and could do terrible things without remorse but doesn't. Gon, on the other hand, lashes out at everyone, even as it tears him up inside. It becomes a curious and fascinating study about societal norms and morality-- especially in the last act of the book, when Yunjae makes another friend named Dora.

Like when he notes how easily people were to throw up their hands at the challenge of fixing remote problems, and in turn, cower in fear at the thought of fixing those nearest to them. There is a devastating eloquence in how Yunjae can express the complexities of human behavior and interactions with such simplicity, and through Yunjae’s eyes, the reader is given a different way of looking at the world. I couldn't see this book to be as impactful if it was taken from a different culture. The commentary on Korean society is what made this book to be compelling for a coming-of-age novel. And it is so ironic how this book was supposed to be about a boy with no emotion, yet was enigmatically emotional. I honestly enjoy this book and it is highly affecting, which is sure to delight readers of every age.