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A review by k80mae
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn
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
5.0
“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!
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
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying