Almond | By Sohn Won-Pyung – My Safe Space Journal

“I turned off the light and breathed in the book smell that still lingered. It was as familiar as the background surrounding me. But I noticed something slightly different carried on the scent. Suddenly a small ember was rekindled in my heart. I wanted to read between the lines. I wanted to be someone who truly understood the meaning of an author’s words. I wanted to know more people, to be able to engage in deep conversations, and to learn what it was to be human.” (p.199)

Have you ever read a book that left you feeling utterly hollow, yet bursting with emotions at the same time? It’s like an emotional rollercoaster that takes you through highs and gut-wrenching lows, leaving you breathless and yearning for more.

It’s been quite a while since my last book review, but I’m happy to share that I’ve picked up this title for my first read of the year. This book completely wrecked me! It was beautifully written, with powerful messages…

If I can describe this book in just one word, it would be ‘rainbow.’ It is all about hope. Much like a rainbow that appears after the darkest thunderstorms, spreading light and hope when everything seems dark, helpless and empty, this book expresses that very essence of hope. It symbolizes hope for the boy who felt out of place in the world, hope for the boy who longed for love, hope for the mother who desperately wanted her son to be accepted in an often harsh world. This symbolizes hope for all these characters and, hopefully, for you as well. I believe it will touch your heart and inspire you to find your own light, just as it did for me.

“Books took me to places I could never go otherwise. They shared the confessions of people I’d never met and lives I’d never witnessed. The emotions I could never feel, and the events I hadn’t experienced could all be found in those volumes.”

“What does love mean?” Mom asked mischievously. “To discover beauty.”