📖 Novel of the Week: Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

❝Is it true that you don't feel anything?❞

Seon Yunjae's amygdala is less developed compared to the average and that caused him to suffer from a special condition called 'alexithymia': he's unable to express or recognize feelings and emotions.

His mother fed him with almonds every day in the hope to make the amygdala grow, while Granny jokingly called him an 'adorable little monster'.

The two women taught Yunjae how to reply and behave in the most various situations but, on his birthday, a tragic accident led him to be alone.

Thankfully, Dr. Shim appears in his life and will act as a sort of mentor, since he's aware of  Yunjae's condition and will help him navigate through puberty, which isn't an easy thing even if you can tell emotions apart...

In school, a transferred student, Gon, doesn't waste any given chance he has to pick up on Yunjae, but after he learns he's medically incapable to feel emotions, Gon gets curious and the two become the most unlikely pair of friends.

Gon comes from a difficult childhood, is full of anger and resentment and, on top of that, has a very bad temperament, but the friendship with Yunjae will alleviate his wounds, but old habits and the wish to become a strong person treat to split them apart...

👍👎My Thoughts

I already knew what alexithymia was, but never gave too much thought about the practical consequences of it: Yunjae isn't unable to tell when someone is being sarcastic, he gives for granted that when someone is telling him they're fine, they ARE actually fine...and that applies to words as well, he fails to grasp the various nuances and that's why he's very good in math and science but terrible in Korean literature.

As the story is narrated by the protagonist himself, the PoV felt new but somewhat strange and puzzling: everything is black or white to him, and struggles to understand the meaning behind everyone's actions.

To be honest, sometimes I got the feeling that the abnormals were the people around Yunjae because they complicated things that would've been otherwise simple to resolve.

This novel itself is touching and profound, I loved so much the nonconventional friendship between Yunjea and Gon and I appreciate more all the different emotions and how tricky they are even for someone who can recognize them.

The author's writing style is captivating and never boring, so I'll definitely check her other novel as well.

My vote: 8/10

Ph: goodreads.com