ALMOND

Greg Chun's performance is a moving portrayal of Yunjae, a boy who has alexithymia--the inability to identify or describe his own--or anyone else's--emotions. Despite the number of almonds that his mother has him eat daily, Yunjae's amygdala (which is shaped like an almond), doesn't grow, nor does his ability to process emotions. Yunjae's troubles are magnified when tragedy strikes his family. A friend comes in the unlikely form of Gon, the local brute. Chun brings out Yunjae's unemotional response to life with a matter-of-fact tone that contrasts with the voices of Yunjae's emotional mother and wise, caring grandmother. Chun balances menacing anger and moments of sentimentality in Gon's voice, revealing surprising tenderness behind the ruffian's tough veneer. Chun's compelling narration adds weight to this heartbreaking story. M.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2020]