Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Almond

A little pearl of a novel! I have been reading mostly Japanese and Korean fiction for the past couple of months, and this is the story that has stuck with me the most thus far. It’s a book about human existence, love, grief, and growing up - what’s not to like?

Extra points goes out to the beautiful translation. While I know no Korean, it’s always obvious when the translator has done an excellent job at translating the flow of writing and the dialogue between characters. The original voice of Won-Pyung Sohn seems to flow effortlessly here. Almond is a big recommendation!

Content Warnings

ldpaige's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

What are you going to do here? Do you think enduring all this will make you strong? This isn’t strong. It’s just pretending to be.

i absolutely enjoyed this book. it started out rocky for me, and i was even contemplating DNF-ing this book due to some plot continuity issues early on. if i could give a word of advice to someone interested in this book (namely people like me who read reviews to see if it’s up their alley and worth the read), hang on. it WILL get better.

i LOVED the characters, even though some were more fleshed out than others. the story, as well as the world around it, is so interesting and beckons you to lean in and feel what others can’t. it explores emotions and the boundaries of it, imposed by ourselves and what we are simply exposed to.

i recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bittersweet coming-of-age story or anyone who just wants a fresh perspective. it felt a bit preachy in the beginning, maybe even pretentious. however, understanding the character put everything into perspective and helped me to best grasp what the author was trying to say in the first place. you realize, towards the end, the author and MC may be more similar than different.

this is a book that earned all of its 4.75 stars.

Content Warnings

navayiota's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Yet another banger. I wish I had known earlier that there are so many great Korean authors, and I hope others won't make the same mistake as me and wait so long to explore Korean literature. I can easily see this becoming a modern classic, and it will be completely justified. Almond is a flawless exploration of disability in society, and a character study of a boy unable to feel emotions. This book had me gasping, tearing up and giggling.. highly recommend.

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