Photo by Kirill Kozlov
Jo Morey is the author of the new novel Lime Juice Money. She lives in the UK.
Q: What inspired you to write Lime Juice Money, and how did you create your character Laelia?
A: An image which came to me before anything else: A woman, isolated in the jungle –– lonely but not alone. It wasn’t until years later, during a time of upheaval I started writing the novel and exploring who she was, why she felt so trapped. I’d recently been diagnosed with an illness which forced me to reevaluate my life. I think Lime Juice Money was born out of that.
Laelia finds herself confined by her poor decisions and circumstances, but I wanted her to also have agency. She’s not necessarily a “likeable” character and that intrigued me to find out more about her, why she makes the choices she does, and how they influence her relationships and attract her to the wrong sort of people.
I had to explore Belize through Laelia’s eyes. I’m a very visual writer so I tried to put myself in her shoes to see and feel her experiences (and the same for her father, Ellis in his 1980s timeline), often before I put pen to paper.
Q: As you noted, the novel takes place in Belize--how important is setting to you in your writing?
A: It’s often said that setting is like another character and in Lime Juice Money, I think setting is possibly the main character. I really wanted to convey the overwhelmingly beautiful surroundings, the beaches and jungles in Belize, through all the senses, but especially through sound.
Laelia falls in love with this incredible place but the dangerous creatures, the supernatural stories she hears, and the cacophony – particularly at night – add a layer of uncertainty and fear.
So setting is everything. The lushness of the jungle, the powdery white sands, the rum-fueled parties, they all add to the characters’ experiences of a shaken paradise.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The title Lime Juice Money came to me very early on in the writing. It comes from a local phrase used in the novel: “champagne dreams with lime juice money,” which conveys a sense of striving and tension.
I loved the expression as soon as I heard it and knew it would be a strong and evocative title for the novel. Readers tell me how intriguing it is.
Q: You’ve said, “I didn't want to write a novel centered on deafness but rather use it as a technique to show others what it is like to experience, while also ensuring my protagonist has agency and is not limited by her disability.” Can you say more about that?
A: Ultimately, Lime Juice Money is about a woman isolated and alone. I never wanted the book to be about hearing loss or for it to define my main character. It’s just one part of Laelia’s struggles and isolation. Her hearing impairment adds to her loneliness and causes communication problems.
And in Belize, the cacophony of the jungle, especially at night, plays against the tinnitus in her head though she also finds it less stressful than the busy city environments in London where she lived before.
I wear hearing aids myself and struggle in social settings, even with them in. I wanted to convey what that experience is like for people who struggle to hear, how exhausting and segregating –– and sometimes frightening it can be.
And I also wanted to explore the stigma and shame surrounding wearing hearing aids, especially for a younger woman.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m currently working on my next novel, which is set on the North Island of New Zealand in a beautiful but remote beach town. It follows a missing woman who is suffering from postnatal depression and her younger sister from London who goes out to look for her.
It combines the small-town tension of Mare of Easttown and a missing puzzle akin to God of the Woods. It explores themes of grief, motherhood, and renewal under a cloak of mystery. I’m loving writing another book with such a unique setting.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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