Where the Wild Things Lurk
Review written by Jess Pagel
The Night Lagoon by Jo Morey
The Night Lagoon by Jo Morey was a visceral treat. Set in the dense Belizean jungle, Morey crafts a world that feels entirely alive: the hum of the cicadas, the shriek of parakeets, exotic plants and cool, flowing rivers, a chorus of sounds that erupt once night falls, and of course, the countless dangers that lie within the dense foliage. But, as the book progresses, and tensions mount, a question begins to form, where does the true danger lie, within the jungle, or within those who frequent it?
Laelia, her partner Aid, and her two children find themselves travelling from London to Belize for the 70th birthday party of her father. However, on the night of the party, something goes amiss and Laelia’s father falls into a coma. Laelia and her family decide to stay in Belize while he recovers and move into her father’s old and ramshackle lodge in the middle of the Belizean jungle. The lodge itself is hard to reach, it barely has the required necessities, and it hasn’t had the upkeep required to call it functional, but still, it is beautiful.
Her father, a professor of botany, moved to the jungle when Laelia was a child, leaving her and her sister in England, in order to study the many exotic orchids that inhabit the region. As a result, it feels as though Laelia never truly understood the man who chose the jungle over the life they once shared. Left alone amongst his belongings, she slowly begins to uncover fragments of a life he had long kept hidden.
What Morey does so well is maintain a constant sense of unease from the very beginning. The jungle is presented in all its beauty, but beneath the lush greenery there is always the feeling that something is waiting just out of sight. The same can be said of the lodge. It should represent safety, a refuge from the wilderness outside, yet it never quite does. Every creak of the floorboards, every unfamiliar sound in the darkness and every shadow beyond the windows leaves you wondering whether the danger is outside, or already inside with them. It creates an atmosphere that is incredibly tense without ever feeling forced.
One of the most compelling aspects of the novel is Laelia's hearing impairment. It isn't simply a character detail; it becomes integral to the way the suspense is built. Because Laelia can't always trust what she hears, those around her are able to dismiss her concerns, and as readers we begin to question them too. Did she really hear that? Is someone actually there? It is such a clever device because it mirrors the uncertainty that runs through the entire novel. Laelia struggles to trust her own instincts, the reader struggles to trust her perspective, and the story continually blurs the line between genuine danger and perceived threat.
Perhaps the most significant question raised in the novel, however, is whether Laelia can trust herself. She has spent a lifetime allowing others to sway her, dismissing her intuition and letting others define what is real and what is not. In the jungle, where certainty is impossible and all pretence is stripped away, she begins to reconnect with herself and the instincts she has spent so long doubting.
It's been a while since I read The Night Lagoon, and yet I can still picture it so vividly. Morey writes with such sensory detail that the jungle never feels like a backdrop; it becomes a character in its own right, beautiful, oppressive and unpredictable all at once. The Night Lagoon is the kind of thriller that lingers long after you've finished it. If you're looking for a slow-burning mystery with a richly realised setting, an engaging protagonist and an ever-present sense of unease, this is one I'd definitely recommend. And if anyone wants to plan a trip to Belize, hit me up!
This review was written by our Lead Reviewer, Jess Pagel. When Jess isn’t planning trips to the jungles of Central America, you can find her reviewing books at @fiftytwo_books.
If you’d like to become a book club review writer, or if you are a publisher and would like to contact us, please email: tfbcbookreviews@gmail.com