This story follows a boy named Yunjae, who was born with a medical condition where he can’t feel, process, or express emotions. He can’t feel fear or anger, which puts him in dangerous situations regularly. He is seen as a monster because of his lack of emotions. But Yunjae’s mother and grandmother are unfazed by it, and they help Yunjae memorize social cues like when to smile, when to say thank you, and when to say sorry. Yunjae lives a content life with his small family on the upper floor of his mother’s used bookstore. But on his sixteenth birthday, a random act of violence changes everything.

 At school, Yunjae meets Gon. Gon is a boy who is completely different from him. Gon feels too much and acts out in violent ways. Gon is intrigued by Yunjae’s impassive calm, and Yunjae thinks if he can get to know hotheaded Gon, he might be able to understand true feelings. Both of them are seen as monsters in society, and both of them are misjudged and ostracized. Both have experienced traumatizing situations in life, and in an unlikely turn of events, they actually begin to be friends. This short novel portrays the importance of human emotions beautifully. 

-Ariana