Book Review: Almond By Sohn Won-Pyung

This book about two troubled humans coming together as friends melted my heart in the month of January. The author did an amazing job depicting Yunjae's condition in words. The translated writing is amazing - I felt as if I was as emotionless as Yunjae, but was also constantly questioning his internal dialogue.

His relationship with Gon, though violent in the beginning, was gentle. He needed a friend. They both did. In the end, when it's revealed that Gon's tears were shed for the butterfly, and for the small cut on his friend's leg, it shows the gumminess of his heart. He was defending himself, building a hard exterior, to shield him from the hurt he's gone through.

The way that Yunjae bursts into tears for his mother, the way he confides in Dr. Shim, and even the words he uses to describe the lush but soft hues of summer signify the emotional growth that he has worked for. Through his words, we see the MRI results of his almonds.