Almond: A Novel

Written by Won-pyung Sohn

Narrated by Greg Chun

Almond has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 5, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063015128

Won-pyung Sohn

Sohn Won-pyung is a film director, screenwriter, and novelist living in South Korea. She earned a BA in social studies and philosophy at Sogang University and film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. She has won several prizes, including the Film Review Award of the 6th Cine21, and the Science Fantasy Writers’ Award for her movie script. She also wrote and directed a number of short films and made her feature film directorial debut with Intruder. She made her literary debut in 2016 with Almond, her first full-length novel, which won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Released the following year, Counterattacks at Thirty received the Jeju 4.3 Peace Literary Prize and the 2022 Japanese Booksellers' Award.

Reviews for Almond

[Kriselda Castro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s such a really good journey! Thanks to BTS I’ve read this amazing book!

[Be Strong You Did Well · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't want to swear but DAMN. I LOVE THE STORY SO MUCH. It is the typical novel I like because it explores human brains, human relationships, and society. Every characters have their own story background and the story is well-written I'll say. If anything, I like the characters' friendships

[betinaquest · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the narration of this audiobook. The book’s story is wonderfully told and intriguingly unique. It is thought provoking in the best possible way. As in it is serious yet not too heavy somehow yet immensely profound and touching. What a read !!

[tef2leal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very endearing! A coming of age from a different perspective.

[Nohely Zavala · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My soul was touched with this book ?? if you’re debating reading this one, please do

[Natalia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very interesting read sometimes can be heavy but overall extremely insightful into the mind of a person that can’t feel anything.

[Sharla Nicole · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book left me thinking about how the depth of emotions we feel veils or colours our perspective of various situations and influences our approach to life.

[aqsaumair0301 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful beautiful beautiful story, and the way it is narrated is amazing!

[Wendel Rodrigues · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars

It's a sad book, but I didn't feel connected with the characters or the history, but is a book to pass the time.

[Elmo 45 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is such an emotional rollercoaster and the narration was awesome. I wish I could read it for the first time again.

[Sandra Zuks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story about a neurodiverse boy who is trying to navigate his relationship with people while lacking the ability to feell emotional responses, that are considered normal.

[Inês Serra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THIS BOOK! Such a beautiful life story, and with such a strong message throughout. Can't recommend it enough.

[Keyth Hinazuki · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not for me. I can't really feel the story. .

[Isabel Nkosi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a lovely heartwarming story. Truly enjoyed listening to this one!

[Tahoora Hashmi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Intriguing story with a main lead with Alexithymia that you wouldn't want to stop reading once you pick it up.

[lennavxx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A simple, interesting book. Even though this is about a boy who can't feel, it manages to grip your heart from the beginning and take you along on a beautiful story. I don't usually read this type of book, but I'm really glad I did.

[Brooke Savoie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In the vein of R.J. Palacio's Wonder, Almond by Won-pyung Sohn is a pithy novel about a young Korean boy, Yunjae, who has difficulty feeling emotion due to his underdeveloped amygdalae, resulting in the condition Alexithymia. This concise, confessional-style novel gives insight into Yunjae's life as he navigates the world void of emotion and empathy.

Yunjae's mother and grandmother try to school him in emotions so that he isn't the subject of unwanted attention due to his condition, and Yunjae does his best to "fake it." However, when his mother and grandmother are violently and brutally attacked on his birthday, he can't even muster up a single emotion, making him a target for further bullying. How do you not cry when your loved ones are bludgeoned with a hammer? One such bully is Yunjae's peer Gon, who pushes Yunjae further and further with emotional IQ "tests," attempting to make Yunjae feel something, anything. This novel, which reads much like a YA book, features Yunjae's reflections and observations, as well as his relationships with others as he learns to live in the world with his condition.

In all, Almond brings to life a boy living with an unusual, intriguing condition. While I didn't find the book to be entirely compelling or attention-grabbing, it was informative and candid, giving me a reflective glimpse into the life of an extraordinary boy.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Katelyn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing story. I loved everything about it. Narrator was great.

[ניצן מגדל · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A book that unfolds the psychology of the human feelings and actions . Thank you for this amazing feeling. And experience

[sal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

wow, this was such a beautiful read, definitely will read again

[Shruti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"I have almonds inside me. 
So do you. 
So do those you love and those you hate. 
No one can feel them. 
You just know they are there. 
This story is, in short, about a monster meeting another monster. One of the monsters is me."

Have you ever met a 'monster' and stopped to think about what made them the way they are? Or are you one of those who has always skirted past such monsters in cold deserted streets hunched up against the dusty floor, not stirring to either offer help or ask how they are? 

Translated from the Korean by Joosun Lee, 'Almond' begins with our narrator Yungae retelling the events starting from his birth, his boyhood days to his early teens.

These lines from the prologue set the tone for rest of this incredibly compact, quick paced novel about a boy who feels no emotions, who is incapable of any feeling or empathy. The disease is called Alexithymia which renders Yunjae's amygdala (the 'almond' in his brain) imperceptible to human emotions like love, happiness, anger, or pain. He can't react if someone physically injures him.
Throughout his childhood, Yunjae has been prepared by his mother & later his grandma to 'normalise' his behaviour and to put on an act of showcasing emotions in everyday situations even if he feels none, in order to blend in with the kids at school.

Christened with all kinds of names like a freak, a robot, a weirdo - he is affectionately called 'monster' by his grandma. But what happens if this solid support system is uprooted by an unforeseen tragedy? Yunjae must learn to survive and adapt in a cruel and unforgiving world, navigating the dark seas of emotions all alone. In this journey of self actualisation, he will come across some unexpected friends, a lot of bullies, a monster- another monster like him that will bind them together in an inseparable bond.

'Almond' is a story replete with beautiful descriptions of Seoul set against the backdrop of changing seasons in the streets, but is also haunted by the memories of sickness & tragedies. The ending will make you feel warm, teary & hopeful in unlikely friendships and about 'monsters' who can be saved.

[NC KONNECT · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly an incredible and thought-provoking story. The characters all felt like people I could know and I wound up loving them very deeply.

[zoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Damn that was a good book! I immediately want to reread

[Joanna Sayers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The main character being 'unable to feel' means the author has to work in a different way to explain to us how all the characters are feeling, and it's beautiful. A good recording too. It painted a vivid picture for me.

[chauhan vishal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a Good Light hearted Book one sure can give time to read it.

[blue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

it was such a journey. wow. an impressive story! truly!

[Antonio Luiz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly one of the best I've read in 2022! Wasn't expecting to like it so much

[akankshya Mohanty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Its a nice faced paced read. I liked the context and the way the characters emote, especially since there's an obvious gap for the protagonist. The denouement was not all that great and the ending seemed happier than the rest of the text.

[Sr. Pritzel Diseño · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Definitely an interesting book. Simple and short story but very deep

[Petrana · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

idk if i like it or not. it was predictable and nothing special? or am I just used to horrendous stories...