BOOK REVIEW: Lemonade Revealed by Will Chluho

SYNOPSIS

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.

REVIEW

"Lemonade Revealed" is a complex book.  Woven into the boy's story is a nice bit of social commentary, right and wrong, greed vs. sacrifice, and the like.

I spent part of the book wondering what the boy's name was, as he himself did not know.  When he gets a crush on the daughter of one of his benefactors, he blurts out what he wants to drink in response to the girl's question of what is his name.  "Lemonade," he declares!  Hence the title.

As he becomes more accustomed to his new life, he gradually begins to find out about who he was before.  He was named after a star, Iota Draconis, and the ship on which he was sailing with his mother (in search of his father) was wrecked.

I was a bit confused because the book started with the boy awakening after the accident, without his memory, and in the presence of three of the king's advisors (business, military and spiritual).  Then about 2/3 the way through the book, the same scene takes place again.  I was not clear on whether it was Iota's memory of the scene, or another group altogether.

"Lemonade Revealed" is an engaging story (what would you do if you awoke on an island with no memory).  Chluho does a wonderful job of making the philosophical discussions part of the story and not something that is thrown in there for political correctness' sake.  The Island of Ahio will not give up her secrets without effort on the part of the reader.  I personally feel the story, while complete, is not 'over'.

This is a book you can read and re-read, and get something new (detail, insight, etc) each time.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

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As an urban pragmatist, Will Chluho was a creative director who’d served on world-renowned brands such as BlackBerry, Mercedes-Benz, and Singapore Airlines. As a spiritual “romanticist” of sorts who sought solace, he’d lived four years as a Franciscan friar, a major in philosophy and theology. He’s 44, married, and advancing his philosophical studies with the University of London.

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(Disclaimer:  I received a print copy of Lemonade Revealed from the author and publisher, via TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  No other compensation was offered, requested or received.  The opinions expressed in the review are my own.)