The next DB book club discussion will be Almond by Won Pyung-Sohn on 11/10/24. More in comments!
6
7

    Apparently even after four years of the translation being in print, Almond is still so popular that there was a long wait at my public library. I bought the book after waiting a couple of months, and of course it came in immediately after that. (But I returned it in case any of you live here and were waiting to take it out!)
    @indyfan @mellowarmadillo @attiton @elinor @ahjummaaa @wonhwa @jls943 @cayong03 @babylilo @ruhi0101 @petrolia @acacia @dramaforever
@zindigo @linarrick @ndlessjoie @sonai @kdramajoy @minniegupta1

    3
    2

      Here are some discussion questions:

      1. Do you like novels with unreliable narrators? Do you think Seon Yunjae counts as an unreliable narrator?
      2. Yunjae’s grandmother calls him “adorable little monster.” Did you grow up with negative/teasing nicknames? Is that a norm in your culture/subculture? How do you feel about it?
      3. As a total outsider to Korean culture, I’ve been fascinated by the idea of nunchi, loosely translated as emotional intelligence. (We have to use two four-syllable words of Latin origin to translate!) How does the importance of nunchi affect Yunjae in this novel?
      4. Which k-dramas have you seen where the main character lacks nunchi? What were some of the narrative pretexts for this? Which of these dramas did you like?
      5. Which characters in world literature or popular culture have trouble understanding other people’s emotions? Any favorites?
      6. Many k-dramas seem to make an argument about what is good parenting. What does this book have to say about parenting?
      7. Throughout the novel, Yunjae expresses his love of books. Why are books important to him? Did you have similar experiences to his with books and reading?
      8. This book has some violent scenes. How did Yunjae’s lack of fear affect how you perceived the violence?
      9. What does this book have to say about mending relationships and becoming a better person?
      10. Can people show love when they don’t understand how another person feels? Is that what Yunjae is doing here? What’s your experience? Have you ever tried to “fake it until you make it” with an action that’s supposed to be motivated by a feeling? Did it work for you? @indyfan @mellowarmadillo @attiton @elinor @ahjummaaa @wonhwa @jls943 @cayong03 @babylilo @ruhi0101 @petrolia @acacia @dramaforever
@zindigo @linarrick @ndlessjoie @sonai @kdramajoy @minniegupta1

      3
      1

        Thanks so much for posting the reminder and these questions for the discussion. It has come around fast. I love the mix of the questions. Looking forward to an interesting discussion.

        2
        0

      I suggest that people not read the questions below if they haven’t yet read the book.

      0
      1

        Oh, did I spoil too much? I tried not to put anything that wasn’t on the summary on the book cover.

        1
        0

    I hope you have fun hosting and get lot’s of engagement on the fan wall. I will be travelling and will be off the site most of the time so will catch up with you on my return. Because it’s a book that covers some heavy topics it may impact on the level of engagement as the usual contributors may have chosen not to read it. I was not able to read/listen to it past a brief intro as it was not my kind of listen but I am keen to see how others found it through their answers to your questions. Hwaiting💪🏾

    1
    1

      Thanks! I thought it was a good book. I am not sure how the discussion will go either!

      1
      0

Currently RecapPing

back to top
Follow @dramabeans: