Reviews with content warning for Gore - アーモンド

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

アーモンド by Won-pyung Sohn

25 reviews

rachjy's review against another edition

4.5

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

siriface's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Content Warnings

sakisreads's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Well well well. When I’d seen that RM had read and recommended this book, I knew I had to read it ✨ I found a copy in Busan and picked it up right away!

I was not expecting the level of sadness and violence that came through in this; I will include the content warnings below.

Yunjae was so lovable from the start; lost, yes, but certainly not the nasty names everyone else called him.

I also began to develop such a soft spot for Gon too, because he was seriously struggling! 🥲

I cried towards the end of the book. There were angry tears, happy tears and sad tears too 🫠

I also ADORED Dora and Yunjae’s mum, they were such positive figures for me ❤️

4.5 out of 5 stars for me ✨ Thank you!

Content Warnings

sarahemhavens's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I am absolutely blown away by this book. This book floats around all over Bookstagram and I am so grateful for that because it deserves not only popularity, but to be digested and appreciated by many.

Almond is a story of true identity, the core of people, friendship, family, and love. It is an incredibly unique look at human emotions, through the eyes of a boy who “can feel nothing.” Both Won-Pyung Sohn and translator Sandy Joosun Lee capture Yunjae’s emotional constrictions while letting him soar with more understanding and care than most people capable. Almond faces the human condition with grace, tackling not only the question of inherent good vs inherent evil, but also whether a story is happy or tragic.

I was not expecting this book to steam roll over me and my emotions, but I am truly enthralled by this book. The characters, the writing, the story, the translation - this book is a masterpiece. I already wish I could read it for the first time again. I wish I could teach myself a whole new language just to read this in it’s original text 😭(Please make sure you go in blind and don’t spoil this book for yourself and please please read this!!!!😭)

Content Warnings

audimka's review against another edition

2.75

challenging reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I like this book’s perspective on the human brain and its ability to change over time. I also like the very strong closure at the end of the book. However, I found it quite confusing at time, with lack of elaboration on a lot of aspects.

Content Warnings

k80mae's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“Do you think I could make others understand me, even though I can’t understand myself?”

Almond tells the story of a boy who cannot understand or process emotions. We follow him from childhood, when he is first diagnosed with having a too-small amygdala, through his teenage years and the tragedies he survives. For a book that is so definitively about a character who cannot process or understand emotions, this book is absolutely teeming with it. The emotions seem to seep off of Yunjae's clinical observations.

What I found most striking about this book, I think, is the craftsmanship of both the author and translator. Sohn and Lee are incredibly masterful in the way that they keep Yunjae's narration devoid of emotion, but he never fails to feel human. It never feels difficult to empathize with him even as he struggles to even understand the concept of empathy. I'm not entirely sure how they managed it so effectively, but it was a joy to experience.

I am sure that there will be many readers who don't find as much to enjoy in this novel, particularly with the ending. For me, despite the questions of realism, I would have been distraught had it ended any other way. In the author's notes, Sohn states that part of the reason she wrote Almond was after asking herself, "If they were my children, could I love them?" After reading that, it is clear to me why I would have been upset had Yunjae and Gon's stories ended differently and why Sohn could not let it end any either way.

This was an absolutely wonderful read for me and I will definitely be hunting down a physical copy so that I can mark up every page!

Content Warnings