Lime Juice Money, Jo Morey (Review by Kristin Kurek)

Lime Juice Money took me on a thrilling sensory journey to Belize that I won’t soon forget. Laelia Wylde, her partner Aidrian, and her two children visit her father in Belize to celebrate his birthday. When her father, Ellis, becomes ill, Laelia decides to remain in Belize with her family until her father is well. They settle into his home, an old resort area deep in the jungle and befriend the local residents. While the children seem to enjoy their new home, Aidrian seems to change in a less positive direction. Laelia is physically isolated in the jungle without reliable internet, cellular service, and running water. Her hearing loss intensifies the isolation as she is unable to properly hear those around her. Can Laelia trust her senses? Is she dealing with some break from reality? Or, is she the subject of Aidrian’s gaslighting? Lime Juice Money was replete with twists and turns. The story is told in a dual timeline/dual POV style with Laelia and Ellis, her father, as the storytellers. The exotic and sometimes primitive jungle atmosphere provided a constant sense of danger and claustrophobia. Laelia’s hearing disability adds to the sense of claustrophobia. The suspense intensifies exponentially as the novel progresses and Laelia becomes less of a reliable narrator. At times, I felt that the novel was moving slowly, but ultimately, it was well worth the effort of getting through the slower chapters. Far and away, my favorite aspect of reading this book was the gorgeous prose: “The jungle thrives as it has for millennia, in wild shadows, even in the basking light of day, shrouding its secrets in a tangle of leaves and roots and vines.” … and that is just the first sentence of the novel! Jo Morey writes beautifully and hauntingly about the jungle of Belize. I felt transported with every sentence and more deeply enthralled with every chapter. Lime Juice Money was a masterclass in transporting readers through description of the natural world, and I feel honored to have been able to glimpse the world that Morey describes. This book is 363 pages of poetry! I would like to shout my recommendation for this book from the rooftops. If you are a fan of atmospheric suspense, domestic drama, or stunning prose, please pick up Lime Juice Money.