Almond: A Novel

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No puedo evitar poner una pega estúpida: el libro tiene cuatro partes y la cuarta, excepto el final absoluto, me ha parecido demasiado irreal e inverosímil para ser una novela tan realista como es Almendra. Pero eso mismo me pasó con El curioso incidente del perro a medianoche (libro que, por cierto, tiene un aire a este), y me encantó igual. Most people could feel, but didn’t act. They said they sympathised, but easily forgot. The way I see it, that was not real. I didn’t want to live like that. This book is why I love international books. They’re always so different from what is traditionally published here in America and I find that so refreshing. Almendra" me ha recordado a "Flores para Algernon". En este caso un protagonista (Yunjae) al que sus amígdalas cerebrales ("Almendras") no se han desarrollado del todo, impidiéndole experimentar los sentimientos o de leerlos en los demás. Esto dificultará sus relaciones personales en su día a día. Siempre empatizo con estas historias donde se nos presenta a una persona que no encaja en la sociedad, que de alguna manera es diferente y eso hace que sea rechazado por esta, casi repudiado. Esos personajes inadaptados, que buscan entender la sociedad que les rodea, pero que nunca son aceptados por ella, siempre consiguen agarrarme y no soltarme hasta el final. Yunjae es un personaje increíble, con un carisma brutal, aún no siendo capaz de sentir.

Almond on Apple Books ‎Almond on Apple Books

I really liked Almond , especially the first half of the book. It loses its strength and flow in the second part of the book, though. Dora, a girl from school, appears out of nowhere and seems to exist solely to make him feel. If the author would have focused more on Yunjae and Gon, it would have been a more subtle and deeper story. Their relationship and conversations could have turned many times more intense… it had potential. But that must be the YA genre influence: the second half of the book feels much lighter and not as touching. It somehow turns into a high school drama. To be more specific, I felt connected to the smell of old books. The first time I smelled them, it was as if I’d encountered something I already knew.” I’m pretty sure it was due to this that he was able to see who Gon truly was. The way Yunjae described Gon was simple yet beautiful and I guess this is also how I would describe Won-Pyung Sohn’s writing style: Beautiful simplicity with many layers. The author never beats about the bush or hides information. It’s all there and you get exactly what you read which was a very refreshing approach and even though the conversations between the characters are pretty unexcited, they still have some sort of beauty to them. I didn’t think I’d enjoy the writing style so much but I did. =) I couldn't see this book to be as impactful if it was taken from a different culture. The commentary on Korean society is what made this book to be compelling for a coming-of-age novel. And it is so ironic how this book was supposed to be about a boy with no emotion, yet was enigmatically emotional. I honestly enjoy this book and it is highly affecting, which is sure to delight readers of every age.The plot: Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He doesn't really feel happiness, at least not in a strong way, but he is content living with his mother and grandmother… until an incident that leaves his grandmother dead and his mother in a coma. Dealing with the aftermath of this, he tries to cope without anyone to help him make through life faking what he's "supposed" to feel. I've decided to confront it. Confront whatever life throws at me, as I always have. However much I can feel, nothing more, nothing less.” Su abuela se encargará de que su "pequeño monstruito" pase desapercibido junto con la ayuda de la madre. Aunque un trágico suceso expondrá a "Yunjae" al mundo, donde se las tendrá que ver con "Goni", un abusón de colegio que cambiará su vida para siempre. Dora found beauty in everything. She found nature’s magnificent work and incredible symmetry in a turtle’s carapace, or a stork’s egg, or an autumn reed from a swamp. How wonderful, she would often say. I understood the meaning of the word, but I could never feel the splendor it carried.” As Yunjae begins to open his life to new people-including a girl at school-something slowly changes inside him. And when Gon suddenly finds his life at risk, Yunjae will have the chance to step outside of every comfort zone he has created to perhaps become the hero he never thought he would be.

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn — Aniko Press Review: Almond by Won-pyung Sohn — Aniko Press

Plus I’m a huge fan of BTS and I can easily connect this with a book! Because if you know BTS and watched their show “In the Soop” you’ll know that RM as well as SUGA read “Almond” during the show. ;-) So this is the perfect choice for “read a book recommended by a Korean celebrity”! Given the idea of nunchi in Korean culture, I personally found this story especially compelling. In a different setting, I don’t think it would have the same impact. And while there’s definitely subtext of commentary on Korean society, overall, I feel like the author was after telling a fresh YA/coming-of-age story, which this certainly is. Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother provide him with a safe and content life. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful Post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say "thank you," and when to laugh. Anyway, this sounds cliche but you'll eventually meet the people who you're meant to meet, no matter what happens. Time will tell if your relationship with him is meant to be.”Almond follows the story of Yunjae, who was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions. And as the story unfolds, you can see how the author tries to portray this kind of condition to be something that is rarely understood in society and often leads to prejudice and discrimination. Yunjae was often labeled as a "monster" and got outcasted among his friends for his inability to feel anything. Educado por su madre y su abuela, aprende a identificar las emociones de los demás y a fingir estados de ánimo para no destacar en un mundo que pronto lo tachará de extraño. «Si tu interlocutor llora, tú entrecierra los ojos, baja la cabeza y dale una suave palmada en la espalda», le dice su madre. Así construye una aparente normalidad que se hace trizas el día en que un psicópata ataca a ambas mujeres en la calle. Desde entonces, Yunjae debe aprender a vivir solo, sin deseo de derramar una lágrima, sin tristeza ni miedo ni felicidad. Yunjae was born with a condition that made him unable to feel emotions. We follow him through his journey of him asking questions and his curiosity about human nature and emotions. We follow his character growth that was so fascinating, heartbreaking at times, heart warming at others, and so beautiful. Yunjae was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions like fear or anger. He does not have friends—the two almond-shaped neurons located deep in his brain have seen to that—but his devoted mother and grandmother aren’t fazed by his condition. Their little home above his mother’s used bookstore is decorated with colorful post-it notes that remind him when to smile, when to say "thank you," and when to laugh. Yunjae grows up content, even happy, with his small family in this quiet, peaceful space.

Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, Sandy Joosun Lee | Waterstones

People sometimes say how cool it’d be to be fearless, but they don’t know what they’re talking about. Fear is an instinctive defense mechanism necessary for survival. Not knowing fear doesn’t mean that you’re brave; it means you’re stupid enough to stay standing on the road when a car is charging towards you.” Parents start out with grand expectations for their kids. But when things don't go as expected, they just want their kids to be ordinary, thinking it's simple. But son, being ordinary is the hardest thing to achieve,” Creo que el primer acierto es que esté narrada por Yunjae, con ese toque frío y robótico que transmite perfectamente esa falta de sentimientos. Solo narra los distintos momentos de su vida como si fuera un mero espectador. Sin embargo, sentí que eso va cambiado conforme va avanzando la novela y cada vez se muestra una narración mucho más sentida. O al menos eso he percibido yo. Y tanto es así que ha logrado emocionarme en muchísimas ocasiones. I loved this book. It’s totally “my type”. It was perfect. Such a thought provoking beautiful story that made me feel so much. I’d probably be reading it again soon. Also, I couldn’t tell exactly why, but I teared up a little in the end. It was interesting to read the translator's note at the end, where she wrote that after reading the Korean text, she wasn't sure whether it was just her interpretation or there really might have been something more than friendship between the main characters. After she discussed it with the author and other translators, I think she conveyed the slight ambiguity really well in English.Six were dead, and one was wounded that day. First were Mom and Granny. Then a college student who had rushed in to stop the man. Then two men in their fifties who had stood in the front rank of the Salvation Army parade, followed by a policeman. Finally, the man himself. He had chosen to be the last victim of his manic bloodshed. He stabbed himself in the chest hard and, like most of the other victims, died before the ambulance came. I simply watched the whole thing unfold before me. he leído varios libros ubicados en Corea o bien sus autoras son de dicho país y me estoy llevando agradables sorpresas, esta ha sido una mas.