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dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Heartbreaking and beautiful. Going to reccomend this to all my friends
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
[4/5]
Eu queria ler “Amêndoas” porque só escutei coisas ótimas sobre o livro. Mas, apesar de ter muita gente que gostou da leitura, vi muito pouco ser dito sobre o que o livro era efetivamente — o tema, o enredo, os personagens, por exemplo. Isso fez com que eu começasse a leitura sem muitas noção do que aconteceria, mas acabei gostando muito. Algo que acredito firmemente é que o melhor tipo de livro infanto-juvenil é o tipo que fala sobre crescer, e “Amêndoas” faz isso de um jeito que, mesmo sendo inesperado, é muito natural.
A escrita é extremamente fluida. Os temas que são tratados na narrativa nem sempre são simples ou fáceis, mas a forma que o livro é escrito faz com que tudo pareça mais leve do que é. Além disso, os personagens são muito interessantes — eu não diria que “Amêndoas” pesa muito nas descrições, mas o que é descrito sobre a personalidade ou experiência dos personagens faz com que cada um deles pareça profundo e realista. E, claro, o personagem narrador da história, Yunjae, é muito bem desenvolvido. Embora a posição dele não seja nada convencional e, consequentemente, a percepção dele também não o seja, é muito fácil entender o personagem, suas motivações e suas ações. O fato de ele ter uma voz muito característica como narrador foi uma das coisas mais interessantes do livro, na minha opinião.
Há alguns outros personagens que são relevantes para a história, mas o que merece mais destaque é, com certeza, o Gon. Ele sem dúvidas é mais controvertido do que o Yunjae — se, por um lado, é difícil não entender o Yunjae, por outro, é difícil entender o Gon — mas é muito interessante observar como, em razão de experiências passadas opostas, esses dois personagens parecem estar passando pelas mesmas coisas. Observar o modo que a relação deles é desenvolvida me fez perceber o quanto “Amêndoas” é um livro sobre amizade, sobre como às vezes é com o outro que somos capazes de entendermos mais sobre nós mesmos.
Acredito que um ponto criticável do livro é a escolha da autora em colocar o protagonista para ter uma condição neurológica que realmente existe. Não sei o quanto da alexitimia, da forma que é retratada em “Amêndoas”, é real e o quanto é resultado da imaginação da autora (no início do livro, há um aviso de que esses dois elementos fizeram parte da formação da obra), mas acredito que, se a proposta era fazer algo que envolve a imaginação, seria muito menos arriscado e até mais proveitoso simplesmente inventar uma condição específica. Não acho que a autora está necessariamente errada por não ter feito essa escolha, mas estaria mentido se dissesse que não me perguntei algumas vezes o por quê disso.
Além disso, o romance é bem… Superficial. Acredito que ele serve ao propósito que é apresentado no livro; e não é como se não tivesse feito sentido na narrativa. Mas acho que estou cansada demais da fórmula de “livro sobre a amizade de dois meninos no qual a menina só surge brevemente para gostar de um deles de modo romântico” que não consegui gostar.
Por fim, “Amêndoas”, é uma daquelas histórias que deixam muito para ocorrer após o final. Claro, isso faz sentido, porque a narrativa se limita a alguns eventos específicos da vida do protagonista, mas sei que isso é algo que pode ser considerado um ponto negativo para muita gente. De qualquer modo, acredito que a leitura vale muito a pena. A história dele é muito sensível e agradável, apesar de ser menos leve do que eu imaginava, e com certeza ensina muitas coisas que são valiosas; especialmente para o público-alvo da obra.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
here is another part i highlighted that i found profound:
“Mom, do you even know what that character means?” “Of course!” Granny glared at Mom, then in a deep low voice, she said, “Love.” “What does love mean?” Mom asked mischievously. “To discover beauty.” After Granny wrote the top part of the character , then the middle part, (meaning “heart”), she said, “These three dots are us. This one’s mine, this one’s yours, this one’s his!”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yet another banger. I wish I had known earlier that there are so many great Korean authors, and I hope others won't make the same mistake as me and wait so long to explore Korean literature. I can easily see this becoming a modern classic, and it will be completely justified. Almond is a flawless exploration of disability in society, and a character study of a boy unable to feel emotions. This book had me gasping, tearing up and giggling.. highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship
Minor: Gun violence
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s an easy book to get through. As I read it - I felt myself connect with characters very easily from the get go. Yunjae’s character and personal development in the book is my favourite part of it, Gon’s character is complicated but the author does a decent job at giving you enough background to make sense out of his actions and reactions.
A great book to explore human emotions and how it gets translated into the day-to-day business of life. I loved the questions Yunjae would occasionally ask from the readers. Made me think more deeply about the importance of words and language.
Dips toes in childhood trauma and emotional conditioning of a child which is very insightful.
“Children long to be loved, but at the same time they give the most love.”
“Love was an extreme idea. A word that seemed to force something undefinable into the prison of letters. But the word was used so casually, so often. People spoke of love so casually, just to mean the slightest pleasure or thanks.”
A great book to explore human emotions and how it gets translated into the day-to-day business of life. I loved the questions Yunjae would occasionally ask from the readers. Made me think more deeply about the importance of words and language.
Dips toes in childhood trauma and emotional conditioning of a child which is very insightful.
“Children long to be loved, but at the same time they give the most love.”
“Love was an extreme idea. A word that seemed to force something undefinable into the prison of letters. But the word was used so casually, so often. People spoke of love so casually, just to mean the slightest pleasure or thanks.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
I liked the idea better than the execution by far. Many people with this condition have already explained how the narrative and the portrayal of Yunjae feel ableist and ignorant at many points, so I won't add anything because they did a much better job and it's not my place. It's true however, that the final chapters' message rubbed me the wrong way, as it seemed to suggest that someone with that condition was not human and only through love they can be considered human. He is described as a heartless monster too. I found that very disrespectful.
Furthermore, although the idea of using such polar opposites (Yunjae-Goni) to make them more complex and have some development, was interesting, Goni was such an unlikeable character, who fell flat and underdeveloped. The social critique was interesting in some points, thou, like calling out how some people who are considered compassionate and empathic, can look at someone else's pain or tragedy and not be moved, since it's not their own.
Many other plot points just were completely unrealistic and jarring in contrast with the overall narrative (which attempted to be realistic). Such is the climax of the novel, the way the teacher introduces Yunjae to the other students, and the lack of depth/research in the descriptions of the condition.
Furthermore, although the idea of using such polar opposites (Yunjae-Goni) to make them more complex and have some development, was interesting, Goni was such an unlikeable character, who fell flat and underdeveloped. The social critique was interesting in some points, thou, like calling out how some people who are considered compassionate and empathic, can look at someone else's pain or tragedy and not be moved, since it's not their own.
Many other plot points just were completely unrealistic and jarring in contrast with the overall narrative (which attempted to be realistic). Such is the climax of the novel, the way the teacher introduces Yunjae to the other students, and the lack of depth/research in the descriptions of the condition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I came here because it was free on KU and I stayed because I saw that Yoongi read it during In the Soop. I thought the writing itself and the style was really spectacular. This book was short, and the chapters were short, which I liked. I enjoyed the writing and the characters, and I liked reading the book. However, I thought the ending was wrapped up too nicely and illogical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Blood, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Abandonment
Minor: Gun violence