A review by rachbreads
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I have never been abandoned by anyone. Even though my brain was a mess, what kept my soul whole was the warmth of the hands holding mine on both sides.

A book about a boy who does not have the ability to feel anything, and what that means for how he moves through the world (*spoiler alert* it's a challenge)

Yunjae is a character that, ironically, is hard to empathize with, but once you spend more time in his head, you really start rooting for him. Gon, similarly, is very difficult to love, but it's fun to see how he and Yunjae smooth out each other's rough edges while simultaneously somehow bringing out the worst in each other (btw, I totally read this as
a love story between Yunjae and Gon, I think Dora was there just to keep the conservative Korean audience happy, you can't tell me Yunjae and Gon aren't in love
). I thought the wrap-up at the end was a bit too tidy
(I didn't actually need Yunjae to magically learn how to feel, or for his mom to survive, both of these things felt a little out of place for the tone of the rest of the book and I honestly wish they'd been left out)
and rushed but I put this book down with a contented sigh and with a head full of thoughts about relationships, feelings, and love. 

Anyway, it was really fun to read this knowing how much it inspired Min Yoongi to write Amygdala (as Agust D), and that connection gave an extra special meaning to both the song and the book. Thanks Suga and RM for the book rec
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