Book Review: Almond – A Novel by Won Pyung Sohn

Almond – A Novel by Won Pyung Sohn

Almond by Won Pyung Sohn is a tender coming-of-age story about a boy who cannot feel emotions in the way most of us do. This moving and thought-provoking novel explores love, trauma, and the meaning of true connection.

I received this book as a birthday gift. In fact, I had to choose the books myself – the ones I wanted as a gift – and this was one of the two books I selected from a long list on my TBR list.

I expected this book to be an easy read and a moving one, too, and the book delivered on both counts. It is one of those kinds of stories that lingers in your mind long after you have read it. This book reminded me of another book in the same genre that I had read long ago and thoroughly enjoyed – Wonder by R. J. Palacio. I also find a striking similarity in the book cover of both books.

Almond by Won Pyung Sohn was originally published in Korean and is translated into English by Sandy Joosun Lee.

The novel follows the story of Yunjae, a boy born with a neurological condition called alexithymia. His amygdala, which is an almond-shaped cluster of neurons in the brain that processes emotions, is underdeveloped. This means he cannot naturally experience emotions such as fear, anger, or joy.

The book invites readers to step into the life of a boy who cannot feel emotions in the way most of us take for granted. Early in the book, Yunjae explains:

“The doctors said the almond inside my brain was too small.”

While others might recoil at danger or break down in tears, Yunjae remains detached, sometimes even frighteningly indifferent.

As the story unfolds, we gain insight into Yunjae’s world, where his mom worries about him and tries her best to train him to appear normal and avoid standing out, all in an effort to prevent bullying.

She teaches him social scripts using Post-it Notes: when to smile, when to say thank you, and when to nod. Her love is both protective and heartbreaking. His grandmother lovingly calls him a monster, but adores him to bits.

Yunjae’s mom runs a used book store for a living, and the three of them go through the motions of life the best way they can.

But his life changes for good on this sixteenth birthday, a day that is also Christmas Eve. A sudden act of freak violence shatters the fragile safety of his life. From then on, Yunjae has to learn to navigate his life on his own.

As fate would have it, circumstances led him to meet Gon, a troubled boy with the opposite problem. Where Yunjae feels nothing, Gon feels emotions of the extreme kind too intensely – rage, resentment, despair. Their unlikely relationship becomes the novel’s emotional core.

Through conflict, companionship, and tension, Yunjae begins to sense, if not fully feel, the weight of human emotions. As the narrative unfolds, the contrast between the two boys reveals the different ways trauma and upbringing shape people.

Almond – a tender exploration of adolescence

The book is divided into four parts, comprising a total of 75 short chapters. Yunjae narrates the story in the first person. The narration is simple and restrained, reflecting Yunjae’s flat emotional tone. Other characters, Dr Shim, Dora, and Professor Yun, shape the story and aid its progression.

The plot resolution is a bit tidy, but I like it that way. The book’s strength lies in its unique perspective and its exploration of love, trauma, and resilience.

For me, the most powerful takeaway was Yunjae’s realization:

“I had never known what it meant to care for someone, but I knew I didn’t want to lose him.”

In that moment, we see that humanity is not just defined by how strongly we feel, but by the choices we make and the bonds we form.

I liked the book. It made me pause, feel, and reflect, and sometimes that is all you need to feel centered in the commotion of your daily life.

Almond – A Novel

Author: Won Pyung Sohn
ISBN: 9780062961389
Publisher: HarperCollins
Available on: Amazon

About the Author

Sohn Won-pyung is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and novelist. She earned a BA in Social Studies and Philosophy from Sogang University and studied film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. Sohn has received multiple awards, including the Film Review Award at the 6th Cine21 and the Science Fantasy Writers’ Award for her movie script, I Believe in the Moment. She has also written and directed several short films, such as Oooh You Make Me Sick and A Two-Way Monologue.

Sohn made her literary debut in 2017 with her first full-length novel, Almond, which won the Changbi Prize for Young Adult Fiction.

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About the Author

Jyoti Babel ( 7 Posts)

Jyoti is a Content Developer and a lover of books, an Engineer by education who finally found her calling in words. Taking long walks, practising yoga, listening to music, meeting a good friend over a cup of tea, baking the perfect cake – all these little things make her happy in their own way. Jyoti enjoys writing on a wide range of topics but her favourites are food, books, travel, and culture.
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