Almond : A Novel

Book Details

• Author: Won-pyung Sohn

• Publisher: HarperCollins

• Language: English

• Edition: 2022

• ISBN: 9780063266919

• Pages: 272

• Cover: Paperback

• Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches

About the Book

Monster by Won-pyung Sohn is a poignant and deeply emotional story of a young boy’s journey to understand his emotions and find his place in a world that has often been indifferent to him. Yunjae, born with alexithymia, a brain condition that makes it nearly impossible for him to feel or understand emotions, has always lived a solitary life. Without friends and with only his devoted mother and grandmother for support, Yunjae’s existence is marked by quiet contentment until a tragic act of random violence shatters his world on his sixteenth birthday.

Isolated and struggling with his grief, Yunjae retreats into silence, until a troubled teenager named Gon enters his life. The bond that forms between them challenges Yunjae’s inner world and gradually begins to open his heart to others, including a girl at school. As Yunjae navigates this emotional growth, the real test of his transformation comes when Gon’s life is suddenly at risk. Yunjae must step out of his comfort zone, potentially becoming the hero of his own story and confronting the emotional barriers he has built.

Monster is a beautifully crafted narrative about the power of human connection, the journey to self-awareness, and the healing that comes from embracing vulnerability. It’s a story about monsters—literal and metaphorical—and the courage to face them.