Equally nostalgic yet nightmarish, Lime Pickled is a short story collection set in a fictional Malaysia on the murky themes of exploitation, ecological damage, poverty, abuse and loss. Nefarious characters interact with the oppressed in the richly-textured familiar and amoral setting of modern Asia. Marc de Faoite's storytelling, gritty, yet detached, hints at traditional folklore with a brush of Zola's naturalism. Dark, surreal, heartwarming and funny, the range in this collection hits the spot in a multitude of ways. The initial primal shock cuts deep but these controversial and hard-hitting stories of human suffering, desperation and courage will stay with you for a long time.