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    Almond: A Novel
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    Almond: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Almond: A Novel
    Audiobook4 hours

    Almond: A Novel

    Written by Won-pyung Sohn

    Narrated by Greg Chun

    4/5

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    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    This story is, in short, about a monster meeting another monster. 

    One of the monsters is me.

    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.

    Then on Christmas Eve—Yunjae’s sixteenth birthday—everything changes. A shocking act of random violence shatters his world, leaving him alone and on his own. Struggling to cope with his loss, Yunjae retreats into silent isolation, until troubled teenager Gon arrives at his school and begins to bully Yunjae. 

    Against all odds, tormentor and victim learn they have more in common than they realized. Gon is stumped by Yunjae’s impassive calm, while Yunjae thinks if he gets to know the hotheaded Gon, he might learn how to experience true feelings. Drawn by curiosity, the two strike up a surprising friendship. 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 in danger, it is Yunjae who will step outside of every comfort zone he has created to perhaps become a most unlikely hero. 

    The Emissary meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime in this poignant and triumphant story about how love, friendship, and persistence can change a life forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateMay 5, 2020
    ISBN9780063015128
    Unavailable
    Almond: A Novel
    Author

    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 I Believe in the Moment. She also wrote and directed a number of short films, including Oooh You Make Me Sick and A Two-way Monologue. She made her literary debut in 2017 with this, her first full-length novel, Almond, which won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction, followed by which won the Jeju Peace Literary Award. Counterattacks at Thirty also received the Jeju Peace Literary Award, as well as the 2022 Japanese Booksellers' Award.

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    Related categories

    Reviews for Almond

    4/5

    1,066 ratings51 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It’s such a really good journey! Thanks to BTS I’ve read this amazing book!

      3 people found this helpful

    • 3/5
      A very different plot than I've seen before. A short, easy read that's thought provoking

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      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

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      It was not what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Not what I had expected. Definitely would recommend, great experience for my first Korean author.
    • 5/5
      This book is such an emotional rollercoaster and the narration was awesome. I wish I could read it for the first time again.
    • 5/5
      I am incredibly in love with this book. Everything about it made me feel whole.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      THIS BOOK! Such a beautiful life story, and with such a strong message throughout. Can't recommend it enough.
    • 5/5
      What a lovely heartwarming story. Truly enjoyed listening to this one!
    • 2/5
      Not for me. I can't really feel the story. .
    • 5/5
      Intriguing story with a main lead with Alexithymia that you wouldn't want to stop reading once you pick it up.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      What a moving, tender audiobook. I loved this so much.
    • 5/5
      Amazing story. I loved everything about it. Narrator was great.
    • 5/5
      A book that unfolds the psychology of the human feelings and actions . Thank you for this amazing feeling. And experience
    • 5/5
      wow, this was such a beautiful read, definitely will read again
    • 4/5
      "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.
    • 5/5
      Truly an incredible and thought-provoking story. The characters all felt like people I could know and I wound up loving them very deeply.
    • 4/5
      It's a Good Light hearted Book one sure can give time to read it.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Damn that was a good book! I immediately want to reread
    • 4/5
      it was such a journey. wow. an impressive story! truly!
    • 5/5
      Truly one of the best I've read in 2022! Wasn't expecting to like it so much
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Definitely an interesting book. Simple and short story but very deep
    • 2/5
      idk if i like it or not. it was predictable and nothing special? or am I just used to horrendous stories...
    • 3/5
      It was more young adult than what I expected but still a good read