Lemonade Revealed by Will Chluho / guiltless reading

More lemonade please ...

About Lemonade Revealed by Will Chluho:

FICTION: A boy on a voyage to find his true father regained consciousness on an unknown island to the curious stares of three old men: a warrior, a trader, and a priest. The lost boy would later discover through a mysterious man–a skinhead with an eye tattoo on his neck–that one among the trio could be the father he’d been looking for….

NONFICTION: This “little yellow book” is a good place to reclaim such good old-fashioned gems as “faith” and “hope” under the demythologized light of human reason. It is a phenomenological examination on the possibility and probability of a divine existent vis-à-vis a real world of human frailties and frictions. Lemonade Revealed is a timely discourse in a timeless (and engaging) story.

My two cents

When I first saw this book, it reminded me of the Moleskine notebook with its clean lines, minimal design and embossing. I am such a sucker for pretty looking books. Then that title ... how intriguing! But is what's inside just as good as what I see on the outside?

Oh, definitely!

This is a tale of a young boy who is washed up on the shores of a strange island, which seems to be somewhere in Asia. He comes under the care of three of the most influential people of the island: a priest, a warrior, and a trader.

The young boy discovers he is suffering from amnesia. He goes on a quest to find out. He becomes totally befuddled by the politicking on the island, with each of his mentors alternately warning him to be careful of the other mentors. With clues from here and there, making the acquaintance of the feared skinhead who purportedly eats bats and falling in love to boot, he pieces together what happened to him and discovers his true identity.

This coming-of-age story is such a sweet, relaxing read which opens one up to further meditation and musing on identity, love, and truth.

***

This is a surprise of a book! I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened up its beautiful pages. I found it a joy to read, with a story told so simply yet so profoundly.

As I can't go into too much detail because it would spoil things for first time readers, I'll say that:

I enjoyed discovering the identity of our shipwrecked hero -- his unusual name (yes, it's revealed at some point!), his heartbreaking back story, his love story, and his relationship with each of his mentors.
This is an interesting melding of philosophy and magical elements and can I infer, time travel?
I loved the ambiguity of the location and the era, and the author's nod to Asia.
The writing, which is simple yet lyrical.
The fact that it is unresolved - this may irk some but I think that its lack of resolution is meant to open one up to contemplation.

Now this is pretty random, but this also made me think of:

Just being myself and thinking for myself -- don't think about what others tell you not to do -- they probably have vested interests and not me in mind.
What an impact each of us has on others, many times unbeknownst to us.
Hermit crabs are such ingenious animals ... but is it simply its inherent ingenuity or something bigger than we could ever have imagined?
Lemonade is a great diversion.

Verdict: I thought this was a sweet coming-of-age story but I'm sure I've only scratched the surface. I'm betting a reread will reveal more ... lemonade :) I'll drink some more, for sure!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Links:
Lemonade Revealed Official Website
Will Chluho's guest post BEA in New York and The Elephant Fable