You’ve probably seen the cover. It’s a minimalist, almost haunting face of a boy with a neutral expression, staring back at you from the "Best Seller" shelf or a BTS member’s hands. That’s Almond by Won-pyung Sohn. It is a book that people call "heartwarming," but honestly? It starts with a brutal act of violence that’ll make your stomach turn.
Yunjae, our protagonist, has a brain that doesn’t work like yours. Specifically, his amygdalae—those two almond-shaped clusters in the temporal lobe—are tiny. He has alexithymia. Basically, he can't feel fear, anger, or even affection. While other kids scream at spiders or cry over scraped knees, Yunjae just... watches.
The Story of Almond by Won-pyung Sohn Explained
Sohn Won-pyung didn't just write a medical case study. She wrote a "monster" story. That is what Yunjae’s grandmother calls him—her "adorable little monster." It sounds harsh, but in a world where being different is a social death sentence, his family tries to "fix" him. His mother plasters their house with post-it notes: If someone smiles, you smile back. If they say a joke, laugh. It’s manual labor for the soul.
Then comes the Christmas Eve tragedy. I won't spoil the gritty details, but Yunjae is left alone in the world. He has to run his mother’s used bookstore while navigating high school without his emotional "cheat sheets." That’s where he meets Gon.
Why Gon is the Perfect Foil
If Yunjae is a blank slate, Gon is a wildfire. He’s a delinquent, a bully, and a kid who has been through the literal ringer of the foster care and youth detention systems. Gon feels everything too much.
Their friendship is weird. Really weird. Gon tries to provoke Yunjae, even hurting him just to see a flicker of a reaction. Yunjae doesn't flinch. He just wants to understand why Gon is so loud. It’s a fascinating look at two outcasts—one who can’t feel and one who can’t stop—finding a weird kind of equilibrium.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Condition
A lot of readers think alexithymia is just "being a robot." It's not. Almond by Won-pyung Sohn does a great job of showing that it’s a spectrum. It’s a subclinical inability to identify and describe emotions. It doesn't mean the person is a psychopath. Psychopaths often understand emotions perfectly—they just use them to manipulate people.
Yunjae doesn't manipulate. He’s painfully, almost hilariously, honest.
- Social cues: He misses them entirely unless they are taught.
- Physical danger: He doesn't feel the "fight or flight" response, which makes him dangerously brave.
- Empathy: He has to learn it like a foreign language.
Why This Book Exploded in 2020 and 2021
Timing is everything. This book hit the English-speaking world right when everyone was feeling emotionally numb from the pandemic. Then, members of BTS (specifically RM, Suga, and J-Hope) were seen reading it on their reality show In the Soop.
Suddenly, it wasn't just a Korean YA novel. It was a global phenomenon.
But it’s the writing style that keeps people hooked. Sohn Won-pyung is a filmmaker and screenwriter, and you can tell. The chapters are short. Like, two or three pages short. It moves fast. It’s a "one more chapter" kind of book that you finish at 3:00 AM while sobbing into your pillow.
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The Reality of Growing Up "Different" in Korea
South Korean society is big on nunchi. It’s that "eye-measure" or the ability to read the room. If you don't have nunchi, you're an outsider. Almond by Won-pyung Sohn hits hard because it critiques this pressure to conform.
Yunjae’s mother isn't just teaching him to smile because she wants him to be happy. She's doing it so he doesn't get devoured by the crowd. There’s a scene where she’s feeding him actual almonds, hoping they’ll make the ones in his brain grow. It’s desperate and heartbreaking. It makes you realize that "normalcy" is often just a performance we all agree to put on.
Is the Ending Too Good to Be True?
Some critics say the final act feels a bit "movie-like." Given Sohn’s background in cinema, that’s not surprising. Things get a bit dramatic. There’s a showdown. There’s a transformation.
But honestly? After everything Yunjae goes through, you kind of want him to have that cinematic moment. You want the almonds in his head to finally spark.
Practical Takeaways for Your Next Read
If you’re planning to pick up Almond by Won-pyung Sohn, here is the deal.
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First, don't go in expecting a lighthearted YA romance. It is dark. There are depictions of animal cruelty and graphic violence that might catch you off guard given the "pretty" cover.
Second, pay attention to Dr. Shim. He’s a character who enters the story later, a baker who becomes a mentor to Yunjae. He represents a different kind of "grown-up" logic—one that doesn't try to fix Yunjae but just accepts him. We all need a Dr. Shim in our lives.
Lastly, look at the translation. Sandy Joosun Lee did an incredible job keeping the prose sharp and "emotionless" to match Yunjae’s voice without making the book boring to read. It’s a masterclass in tone.
Almond by Won-pyung Sohn isn't just about a boy with a medical condition. It’s a mirror. It asks us if we, who can feel, actually bother to empathize with the people right in front of us. Because as Yunjae notes, most people see a tragedy far away and feel "sad," but they’ll ignore the "monster" sitting in the back of their own classroom.
If you're looking for your next read, stop scrolling and just grab this one. It's a quick 250 pages, but it’ll stick in your head for years.
Next steps for readers:
Check your local independent bookstore or library for a copy of the 2020 HarperVia edition. If you've already finished it, look into Won-pyung Sohn's other translated work, Counterattacks at Thirty, which tackles similar themes of societal pressure but through the lens of a 30-year-old intern in Seoul.