´But the human brain is rather a strange thing´.
I will add, that the human brain is also a fascinating thing, but this is rather an observation in cold blood, when one does not feel oneself moved by any emotion, but just overview facts and brain mechanisms from afar, with amused scientific curiosity. Almost like the main character in Almond by the Korean author Won-Pyung Sohn, who wrote and directed a number of short films. The book is translated by the San Diego-based Sandy Joosun Lee.
The narrator of Almond is a young man that from an early age was diagnosed with alexithymia, which refers to the inability to express your feelings. His amygdala, the almond-shaped structures in the brain were not working properly. ´The words ´emotions´ and ´empathy´ are just meaningless letters in print´.
He grew up with his single mother and grandmother, who tried to challenge this inability, not only by feeding him almonds - which may be good for the brain development - but also teaching him to extend his network of associations, including by translating emotions into words. ´Mom was like a playright and never tired of using her imagination to come up with different situations´ (...) I needed to read the true meaning behind words, as well as memorize the proper intentions behind my responses´.
The main character is having a long way ahead, going through shocking and highly violent episodes, at the end of which his emotional limits are challenged. The level of aggressivity described is raw but told with a matter-of-fact voice of someone who really is beyond fear.
The book is made of short chapters, with a fotographic impression. It´s a simple story with a complex emotional weight. I personally appreciated the innovative-creative way in which such a diagnosis is realistically inserted into a narrative and the literary developments.
Rating: 3 stars
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