Scan barcode
A review by dreaminfables
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn
4.0
“Even though my brain was a mess, what kept my soul whole was the warmth of the hands holding mine on both sides”
Unique and explorative.
After RM and Suga of BTS were spotted reading this book it gained quite a lot of buzz, all for the right reasons. The book is thought provoking with a compelling narrative.
Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger.
The narration is emotionally detached providing depth to the storyline. It made me feel like I was reading two stories at the same time, one about Yunjae where his observations and unique way of addressing a problem makes one ponder and the other where he talks about the events of his life, albeit some of them pretty life altering.
His mother does all that she can to help him be prepared for the outside world where his inability to comprehend emotions will be taken negatively and make him an outcast. Yunjae's story is heartbreaking at moments but because his narration is true to his character the reader is given room to comprehend and experience the emotions on their own time. I attribute this aspect to thoughtful story telling and it is hard to come by. Despite not being able to experience emotions, Yunjae tries to educate himself of the ways of the world and is a very intelligent person. A bibliophile, encouraged by circumstances we often see him impart unique wisdom and perspective that made me pause and think for a while.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that makes one think differently within a simpler concept as that of a coming of age novel.
Unique and explorative.
After RM and Suga of BTS were spotted reading this book it gained quite a lot of buzz, all for the right reasons. The book is thought provoking with a compelling narrative.
Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger.
The narration is emotionally detached providing depth to the storyline. It made me feel like I was reading two stories at the same time, one about Yunjae where his observations and unique way of addressing a problem makes one ponder and the other where he talks about the events of his life, albeit some of them pretty life altering.
His mother does all that she can to help him be prepared for the outside world where his inability to comprehend emotions will be taken negatively and make him an outcast. Yunjae's story is heartbreaking at moments but because his narration is true to his character the reader is given room to comprehend and experience the emotions on their own time. I attribute this aspect to thoughtful story telling and it is hard to come by. Despite not being able to experience emotions, Yunjae tries to educate himself of the ways of the world and is a very intelligent person. A bibliophile, encouraged by circumstances we often see him impart unique wisdom and perspective that made me pause and think for a while.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that makes one think differently within a simpler concept as that of a coming of age novel.