A review by hareems
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

4.75/5

Only 0.25 docked because some loose ends weren't tied. I don't mind that, but I think it may have further enhanced the story to at least reach a reunion between the two friends, even if it was just wordless, just a smile seeing each other again. I think Gon seeing Yunjae smile would've itself been incredibly significant. It was significant for Yunjae to cry and laugh in front of his mom. But we knew Gon for longer and Gon had a bigger (narrated) impact on Yunjae, so he deserved to see Yunjae's change just as much as his mother did (in the context of the story).

I appreciated that the ending was happier than reality. Sometimes we need that. A book that is heavily dosed with reality but that still gives us a proper happy ending instead of just a small glimmer of hope at the end.

I'm hopeful Gon changes. He's been shown too soft to really turn out poorly. And Dora isn't going anywhere. She'll stay in touch because she wants to stay in touch.
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