This past week, I had my wisdom teeth removed and was left stranded in bed, aching and miserable, without ever having a single bite of turkey. Being trapped in bed, my nausea blaring, and my mind in desperate need of distraction, MARINnet audiobooks came through.
“Almond” by the wonderful Sohn Won-Pyung, became my book of choice. I found this book recommended online, and despite the short description, I was drawn in.
I love surprises, and the cover grabbed me instantly with its sharp shapes and contrasting colors. With boredom seriously threatening my sanity, I threw in my airpods and rented it.
The story follows Yunjae, a young Korean boy who suffers from Alexithymia, a mental condition in which the brain becomes practically incapable of feeling emotions like fear or anger. This is due to his amygdala being the size of almonds, which is where the book gets its name.
The novel tracked Yunjae’s life from when he was a little boy to when tragedy hit his small family, taking the life of his grandmother and trapping his mother in a hospital bed. And it all happened on his 16th birthday—Ouch.
Yunjae reminded me of Yeon Si-eun from the Netflix Korean drama, “Weak Hero Class.” The works are very similar, with themes of gang violence, isolation, male friendships, revenge, and sacrifice. I would also classify this as coming-of-age, since Yunjae learns what it means to be human, and develops an understanding of feelings like love, anger and hope.
In high school, Yunjae is living on his own without any family. He struggles in his solitude, and ends up opening a used bookstore in honor of his mother. Later, his life is forever changed by a friendship with a violent delinquent, Gon.
The book is about 272 pages and 68,000 words, which to heavy readers is on the light side. I will say that the novel felt shorter than I was expecting, but since I listened to it, that could easily be why. I did however finish it in one sitting.
The friendship shows a deep connection unlike any other, adding a level of intricacy to the simplicity of friendship. Yunjae is also befriended by a loud girl, Dora, who helps give him an insight into the romantic social life of boys and girls.
Gon’s life is soon struck with tragedy as well, and he unfortunately becomes involved in street gangs. Yunjae struggles to help his friend, and soon his actions lead to violence, death, and a thrilling climax, as his emotions start to truly unleash.
The novel was paced very much to my liking: not too fast, not too slow. I get bored easily, so super long, slow books have never been my type of read.
The novel is translated beautifully from Korean, portraying the same level of emotion and heartache I assume the original copy holds, without being too complex or overly wordy.
“Almond” is the type of book I would recommend reading on a plane, or realistically any place where the reader can experience the novel in one sitting. Especially due to the suspenseful and melancholy vibe of the story, it keeps you on your toes guessing, without ever causing too much anxiety.
I truly enjoyed this book, and I could very well see myself buying this book to read again. A part of me wishes it was a little longer if I have to give a critique, but otherwise I enjoyed the plot, writing style, character, and overall message of the novel.
Next time I’m recovering from a surgery, (which seems to happen more often than I’d like), I will deliberately reach for more books like “Almond” and allow the pain and ennui to slip once more from my mind.
