Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - アーモンド

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

アーモンド by Won-pyung Sohn

201 reviews

emilyharmonica's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

The brilliance of this novel is how, despite the story being told through the lens of someone incapable of experiencing typical emotions, the overall effect is a highly emotional one. It’s unsettling and upsetting, yet strangely uplifting. Yunjae’s inner monologue is oddly charming as he tries to make sense of the world and of human nature without a frame of reference most people take for granted. What is “good” or “evil” without the fear most of us are born with, or without the moral compass our society instills into us? What is love, exactly, without the fear of losing the ones who are dearest to us?

I enjoyed the short “chapters” of this book, which made it quick to read through and enhanced the fragmented, almost stream-of-consciousness style of the narrative. Part of me felt like resolution of the story was way too convenient, and while I was expecting a slightly darker or more ambiguous ending, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved that everyone got a happy ending, more or less.

Almond clocks in at under 300 pages, making it easy to breeze through in a day or two. This was such a unique little story, and I’m so glad I picked it up.

Content Warnings

adig13's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

4.99 ⭐ only because I kind of hate happy endings.

this story is a piece of art by all means. the journey I experienced alongside yunjae and gon was so beautiful. I love this book with every ounce of my body

Content Warnings

bugcollector's review against another edition

2.75

adventurous challenging funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ילד לומד לאהוב
ילד לומד לשנוא
ילד להשמיד את האנושות

הכתיבה לא הייתה חדה או חודרת והרגשתי שזה יכל להיות סיפור קצר במקום ספר

Content Warnings

serendipity421's review against another edition

4.25

emotional informative lighthearted medium-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

starryybella's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I used to be able to win the prompt in Never Have I Ever, “Never have I ever cried to a book for 15 minutes straight”.

Nope. Not anymore.

Ironically, the book that made me so emotional was the book about a person without emotions - Well, even that’s complicated.

“Almond” is the story of Yunjae, who suffers from alexithymia, where the amygdala, the almond-shaped mass of grey matter in the brain that allows us to experience emotion, is small or underdeveloped. Therefore, Yunjae doesn’t experience emotions of anger or fear or happiness.

Even when his mother and grandmother are brutally attacked in front of him, causing his mother to plunge into a vegetative state and his grandmother to die.

Yet Yunjae didn’t feel anything. He only saw red during that random act of violence that changed his life.

Left to care for himself and his mother’s used bookstore at 16, he has the help of the heart surgeon turned baker on the second floor, Dr. Shim, but it’s not the same without his mother.

It’s through a strange set of circumstances, after severe bullying at high school, that Yunjae meets troubled teenager Gon, who moves to his school after reconnecting with his father.

He begins to have more perspective into human emotion, and although they start off on an awful note, this friendship is one of the most poignant and touching bonds I’ve read in literature. Two outcasts, who are polar opposites, yet discover things about the world, each other, and themselves throughout the book.

I got so attached to these two boys and their friendship. Through them, it took me through the process of relearning how to feel again.

Gon and Yunjae throughout the book come to answer the question “What makes someone human?”

It’s not emotions, and it’s not reactions or certain “redeeming” actions to others.

It’s both love and our relationships that make us human.

And not only does love make someone human, but it heals and brings us closer - This book was an affirmation that needed to be heard. I couldn’t put it down.

From one late morning to an early evening, I became completely enthralled with Yunjae’s story.

Something remarkable about this book and about its unique storyline is that in contrast to the distant narration Yunjae provides, he’s surrounded by emotionally vibrant characters. The translator’s note at the end describes how she struggled between both liberal and literal translation to craft Yunjae’s distant tone in the original Korean manuscript. The brilliant translation absorbs readers into Yunjae’s world,

Another aspect I admire about the book is its small chapters - and in Sohn’s case, less is so much more. It made the story coherent and in every chapter, its poigniacy never falters.

Toasts to the best friendship in literature since Frog and Toad - I’d give this book a hug if I could.

Content Warnings

aymangp's review against another edition

5.0

reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

bella_cavicchi's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I picked up ALMOND because of its gorgeous cover. The story inside is equally stunning — a lovely / thoughtful / tender gem on growing up. I also love the thread on love and fear — and how our displays of both emotions are in tandem more often than we think.

And kudos to Sandy Joosun Lee for translating it with such evident care!

Content Warnings