aly ☆彡's Reviews > Almond

"Lastly, and I know it sounds like an excuse but neither you nor I nor anyone can ever really know whether a story is happy or tragic"

I never really thought of checking out BTS' book recommendations but thanks to my friend who has been gushing about it and knowing that if it's not for her, I would never come across this book would be such a regret.

Almond follows the story of Yunjae, who was born with a brain condition called Alexithymia that makes it hard for him to feel emotions. And as the story unfolds, you can see how the author tries to portray this kind of condition to be something that is rarely understood in society and often leads to prejudice and discrimination. Yunjae was often labeled as a "monster" and got outcasted among his friends for his inability to feel anything.

This book showed how children were pre-described by society to meet certain behavior . After all, "human beings are a product of their education." Even so, Yunjae's victimization from his classmates due to his oddness was not the main focus in this book but rather, on his effort to understand the behaviors of the people around him and how neurotypical interactions work.

Like when he notes how easily people were to throw up their hands at the challenge of fixing remote problems, and in turn, cower in fear at the thought of fixing those nearest to them. There is a devastating eloquence in how Yunjae can express the complexities of human behavior and interactions with such simplicity, and through Yunjae’s eyes, the reader is given a different way of looking at the world.

"There are a hundred answers to one question in this world. So it's hard for me to give you a correct answer"

I couldn't see this book to be as impactful if it was taken from a different culture. The commentary on Korean society is what made this book to be compelling for a coming-of-age novel. And it is so ironic how this book was supposed to be about a boy with no emotion, yet was enigmatically emotional. I honestly enjoy this book and it is highly affecting, which is sure to delight readers of every age.

I also enjoy the philosophies and analogies it has to offer, creating a message powerfully delivered. This was the best book I've read in 2021 so far. Thank you Sofea for letting me know about this & thank you Namjoon/Yoongi for letting us know, that such a masterpiece exists.