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k80mae's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
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!
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
mykes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Torture, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
toephia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Blood, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Animal cruelty
bugcollector's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
ילד לומד לשנוא
ילד להשמיד את האנושות
הכתיבה לא הייתה חדה או חודרת והרגשתי שזה יכל להיות סיפור קצר במקום ספר
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Grief, and Murder
mon11257's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Animal cruelty
immdanii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, and Murder
bookrkive's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Gore, Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, and Violence
soowtie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence, Ableism, Bullying, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Death, Blood, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
beckyipyp28's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment and Ableism
lisaearley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence