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Almond

AlmondAlmond by Sohn Won-Pyung
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My rating - 4/5
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Yunjae, the main protagonist of Sohn's "Almond," is one of the most beautifully written characters I have gotten to know. Books about loss have always held a special place in my heart. However, it isn't everyday we see the victim of grief explore a storyline other than coping with loss. Yunjae's cognitive condition, Alexithymia, gives readers a rare (and insightful) perspective on death and mourning.
Unlike most novels, the author's decision to create a story for Yunjae that relies barely on death is intentional. Many novels struggle with explaining grief in depth and tend to brush over a characters death rather quickly. This is exhibited in "Almond," but contrary to popular belief, for a brilliant reason. Because Yunjae has always struggled to express or - to a certain extent - feel certain emotions such as fear and empathy, his reaction to death is completely natural for the way he is written.
It isn't often a book makes me cry. In fact, I think this may be the first time I've ever teared up over a book. I have to credit Won-pyung Sohn for this excellent storytelling.
I did have a few thoughts that nabbed a star from my rating. As stated by other reviewers, it did seem a little unrealistic that Yunjae was able to (view spoiler)[cry out of joy in the end as it contradicted the entire point of his character. (hide spoiler)] To tell the entire truth, I really enjoyed that ending when I put the book down. However, I do agree with other commenters that (view spoiler)[neurodivergence isn't "solved" under given circumstances. If the resolution to a neurodivergent characte's story is the unexplained "cure" of said mental condition, it can reiterate the harmful narrative that mental illness is abnormal and needs to be (and is easily) fixed. (hide spoiler)]

Why did I read this book? (context):
"Almond" was a required book for my brother's English course (he is a rising senior in High School). I am currently waiting on a Kindle to come through the mail, so I decided to start reading something I had in a physical formatting.

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