Lit Fic as a genre has often struck me as much ado about nothing. Tricks and cod profundity often swirl around novels whose action narratives are rather tame. Mouth To Mouth fits that description to a tee, there are a couple of meaty philosophical conundrums buried in this tale, but its also filtered through two potentially unreliable narrators, through a story of terrible rich white men. It certainly feels at home in a strand of American Literary Fiction, in a sense of "how do we rewrite Gatsby" which this has passing similarities to. It is, despite all of that, very readable and pretty sort so when you get three quarters of the way through and realise that this tale isn't going to get any taller, you push through to the the narratively satisfying end and then - Lord help us - a last line twist.

Our narrator, a struggling writer, is off to Berlin but held up by delays at the airport. At which point he bumps into an old college acquaintance who takes him to the first class lounge and decides to tell him this story. So the book is a purported story told over an afternoon of drinking (our writer on non-alcoholic beer), and is a story of lifesaving, then a slow inveigling of the saver into the life of the saved. Outside of the life-saving aspect this is a very typical tale of how people get jobs - it casts a critical eye at the art business and is always interesting, but is also a shamelessly hagiographic telling of a persons success (with one moral caveat). The device of it being reported gives Wilson distance to vaguely judge his character - he picks up on repeated lines, and self-deprications which are nothing of the wort. It is a set of nested character studies of the privileged in America, and as that its well done though not exactly groundbreaking.

There are a couple of ironies compounded in it too, not least that the tale is told in confidence to the writer who then appears to have decided to write it up to boost his own possible success (and if successful is this due to the writer or the substance of his story). But whilst this is all rather neat and cleverly done, I can't say I was ever emotionally engaged in the character. Part of that is due to how he is set up, the initial college flashbacks suggest he was a forgetably bland if amiable chap, the definition of the kind of mediocre white male who falls into success without trying. I'm sure this is the point Wilson is making, but I'm not sure its a point that needs to be made so much anymore. As a short lit-fic novel Mouth To Mouth works fine, but it confirms all my prejudices about the genre

I requested this ARC because I read "Don DeLillo" and had this pavlovian reflex I-must-read-it
It's short and liked the style of writing. I wasn't surprised the the final part nor found the characters interesting.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Proof that good things come in small packages; a tense and atmospheric short novel telling of a chance encounter at an airport between two old college contemporaries which leads to one of them recounting a strange story in his life. A wonderfully written page turner.
Thank you to netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of this book

4+ stars

A delayed flight and a chance encounter at JFK with a former classmate,Jeff Cook, with whom our narrator attended UCLA 20 years ago. They have a drink and food in the first class lounge when Jeff tells his story of rescuing a man from drowning in the sea at Santa Monica. He hasn’t told a soul this story until today but he can’t erase it from his memory. The man he rescued was Francis Arsenault, a well-known and very wealthy gallery owner. Is our narrator acting as a Confessor? Why pick now? Why pick the narrator? Even more importantly how reliable is Jeff? It’s a conundrum!

I thoroughly enjoy this character driven novella (about 200 pages long) which is extremely well written and immersive as you come to appreciate its entertaining cleverness. I like the way Jeff tells the story although parts of it makes you feel a growing discomfort when you witness his actions with Francis which becomes akin to obsession. It becomes increasingly unsettling as you question the disclosures and ponder the reasons. The author utilises chapter endings really well, creating suspense so you have to keep reading.

The character of Francis emerges powerfully and he isn’t one that’s easy to like but we’ve only got Jeff’s word for that especially as you see it’s a sort of the King is dead, Long live the King kind of story. The twist at the end is excellent and one which you don’t see coming. I’ll keep weighing that up!

This seems such a simple tale when you begin it but it isn’t. This is one to continue to think about and it kind of gets under your skin.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Atlantic Books for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Here’s a title I flagged up as one of the potential highlights of 2022 in my Looking Back Looking Forward post. The narrator, a writer en-route to Berlin is delayed at JFK Airport and meets a man he vaguely knew twenty years before. They share drinks in the lounge and this man, Jeff, regales the narrator with what has happened to him in the intervening time.
It centres around an occasion when he reluctantly saved a man from drowning and his interest in the man he saved verges on the obsessive as he inveigles his way into his life. This theme reminded me slightly of Ian McEwan’s impressive “Enduring Love” but the subject matter is handled differently here.
There’s an element of suspension of disbelief required for Jeff’s story forms virtually the whole of the book suggesting this is one long flight delay, for his account is so detailed, our narrator must hardly have got a word in. It is a recounting of a tale told second-hand which seems a brave narrative style for a whole novel as that distance means characters are not fleshed out in the way that they could have been.
It is an interesting conceit but to be honest it didn’t really blow me away and whilst involved, and it is undeniably well-handled by Wilson, I didn’t feel that once-remove really pulled me into the actual narrative.
I can see why some readers would really like this book and I can also see why it might leave some unconvinced. Unusually for me, I’m somewhat stuck in the middle. I wonder if it might just be one of those books that do not completely win me over but leaves an impression which lingers hauntingly, lasting longer in my imagination than books which I had a stronger immediate response to. Time will tell….
Mouth To Mouth is published in the UK by Atlantic Books on March 3rd 2022. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

If you are a fan of Ian McEwan, then this novella by Antoine Wilson will definitely be to your taste.
The narrator, an author, bumps into a familiar face from high school whilst flights are delayed at an airport.
Jeff, now a successful art dealer, is eager to confess his story of how he brought a man back from the dead after drowning and then became obsessed with him; first stalking and then insinuating himself into their life.
I enjoyed the story and the dynamics between Jeff and Francis, the Svengali of the art world, as you are never quite sure whether he remembers Jeff as his saver. The ending was an unexpected twist and added an extra layer to the tale which gave me one of those little smiles on ending a book.

Dark and compelling…. A struggling author is stuck at the airport, his flight endlessly delayed. As he stares at the departure board and browses the shops, he bumps into a former classmate of his, Jeff, who is waiting for the same flight. The charismatic Jeff invites the narrator to drinks in the First Class lounge, and there, swearing him to secrecy, begins telling him the fascinating and disturbing story of his life, starting with a pivotal incident from his youth.

Alone on the beach, he noticed a man drowning in the rough surf, his fate resting in Jeff's hands. Overwhelmed but ultimately determined to help, Jeff rescued and resuscitated the unconscious man. Unexpectedly traumatized by the event, Jeff develops a fixation on the man he saved, sure that they are now inextricably linked. Upon discovering that the man, Francis, is a renowned art dealer, Jeff finds a job at his gallery in hopes of connecting with Francis and processing the event. Even though Francis seems to have no recollection of the incident, he takes Jeff under his wing, and Jeff becomes increasingly involved in Francis's life, dating his daughter and attending important art world parties. As the two grow closer, Jeff notices some of Francis's more unsavoury characteristics - his tendency to cheat artists and carry on affairs - but, convinced that their encounter on the beach is fated, brushes his concerns aside and continues to pursue a deeper connection with Francis, even as the nature of their relationship grows darker...

When his flight is delayed, our narrator recognises Jeff, someone from his student days. Sitting in the first class lounge, Jeff begins to tell the story of the day he came across a drowning man. Somehow, from that time their lives became connected. This book is engrossing and fascinating, showing us how easy it to deceive others and ourselves.

‘“Running into you was serendipitous,” he said. “You were there at the beginning.”’
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A whirlwind of a story in which completely captivated me. It felt like I blinked and suddenly the book had finished and I didn’t even realise I hadn’t looked up from the page the entire time reading
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A struggling author is stuck at the airport, he stumbles upon an old classmate of his, Jeff, who is waiting for the same flight. The charismatic Jeff invites the narrator to drinks, and there, begins telling him the fascinating and disturbing story of his life, starting with a pivotal incident from his youth.
Alone on the beach, he noticed a man drowning in the rough surf, his fate resting in Jeff’s hands. Determined to help, Jeff rescued the man. Unexpectedly traumatized by the event, Jeff develops a fixation on the man he saved, sure that they are now inextricably linked.
Upon discovering that the man, Francis, is a renowned art dealer, Jeff finds a job at his gallery in hopes of connecting with Francis and processing the event. Even though Francis seems to have no recollection of the incident, he takes Jeff under his wing. As the two grow closer, Jeff notices some of Francis’s more unsavory characteristics, but convinced that their encounter on the beach is fated, brushes his concerns aside and continues to pursue a deeper connection with Francis, even as the nature of their relationship grows darker.
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A true start to finish delight of storytelling. Coming it at just 179 pages it packs a punch for a relatively quick read. The narrative is addictive in a way you find yourself constantly reading on and this is definitely one best savoured in one sitting if you can. I feel very lucky to have gotten a chance to read this early, I cannot thank Atlantic Books enough for the early proof copy! UK Pub Date is 03/03/2022, so get preordering!!

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley and in exchange for an honest review.

There is a novel story line about a man who saves another man's life almost accidentally and without real acknowledgement. The saviour becomes obsessed with the victim and his life runs on entirely unexpected lines as he follows this obsession. The book has the life saver narrating an account of what happened to an old but long unseen friend as they are delayed at the airport.

It started well but It lacks any real air of mystery about events, founders in predictability and for me even the final twist fails to elicit any real surprise.

It is hard to rate but I am going with 2 stars

I liked this fun, dark and fast-paced book a lot.

Mouth to mouth begins with our protagonist waiting at an airport when he hears the name of an old college acquaintance being called. The acquaintance recognises him and invites him for a drink, where he begins to tell him a wild story of his life.

I really liked this book, particularly how the narrative functions as someone telling us the story while they also tell it to our narrator. I loved its cut backs back to the present day, of the story being told, an our narrator hearing the story.

It’s a quick read but I found myself unable to put it down. I think it will be huge this year.

4 stars

I really enjoyed this character driven, enthralling novella. This well written story was captivating with a great plot. I liked the ending, which surprised me and overall this book leaves a lasting memory. I haven't read any other books by this particular author but will definitely be keeping an eye out for his other offerings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

A writer waiting for his flight at the airport meets a man Jeff that he knew from college. While they are waiting Jeff tells him a story about the time he saved a man from drowning and how it changed the course of his life.
A slow story about repercussions and opportunism.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for sending me a copy of this to review early.

Mouth to Mouth follows two college acquaintances who meet in an airport many years later. One of them is a writer, the other an art dealer with a story he has been itching to tell. As their flight is delayed, Jeff - the art dealer - tells the story of how he came to be where he is in life, all beginning with how he saved a man's life. As Jeff's story unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that events had a more sinister tint to them than he is letting on.

This book is a short and suspenseful read which is easily devoured in one sitting. The characters all feel well-rounded and complement each other nicely with the exception of the writer, our main narrator, who remains largely mysterious. This actually works nicely as it allows Jeff's character and story to shine through and highlights the writer's role as someone who is simply relaying the more important story.

The plot drags slightly at times since there are only a few largely important events and the rest is the slow burn description of how Jeff ingratiates himself into the family and workplace of the man who's life he has saved and his assessment of whether he was right to do so. As a thriller, it could have been a little more thrilling - the ending was a little predictable but satisfying nonetheless with similar tones to Alex Michaelides 'The Silent Patient' although not executed quite as well.

Overall this was an enjoyable, short read and I found myself becoming engrossed with the characters and asking myself whether I would have made similar decisions. It's an interesting insight into human nature and our predilection to judge others with the added stakes of assessing whether that person has the right to live or whether they should have been left to die. I gave this book 4 stars.

As this tale begins, we meet a man, a writer, who is en route to an engagement in Berlin. We learn that he’s travelling cheaply, but having already caught a redeye from the West Coast to JFK, New York he’s now learned that his onward flight has been delayed. But then he spots a man he thinks he recognises from his time at UCLA, some twenty years ago. The man, Jeff Cook, notices him too and soon they’re enjoying free beer and snacks, courtesy of Cook’s First Class privilege. At this point I was looking forward to learning more about the writer (unnamed throughout), his onward journey and his time in the German capital. But the focus of story now switched as Cook began to tell of a pivotal event earlier in his life, something he’s never talked of to another living soul.

As Cook talked the writer took on the role of confessor, his responses sympathetic and occasionally prompting. Not that Cook needed much prompting, he’s on a roll and seems determined to provide an unexpurgated version. The start point, and the key to all that follows, is his intervention one morning when spots a man in severe difficulty off Santa Monica beach. Without further thought, he launches himself into the water and swims out to the man. Having rescued him from certain drowning others arrive on the scene and eventually he’s left alone, with no knowledge of the identity of the man he saved. Initially this doesn’t bother him, he’s done a good deed and that’s all that matters. But after stewing in his own juices for a while his curiosity gets the better of him – he needs to know more.

The flight delay becomes protracted (they’re both booked on the same flight, albeit at different ends of the aeroplane) and as the two men talk on more of Cook’s story is revealed. What follows is a tale of scheming, betrayal and fateful events. The interaction between the pair is really well handled, in fact the writing is first rate throughout. He’s a clever guy, the author, and I was constantly looking up words I didn’t recognise and references I didn’t understand the meaning of. The pacing is excellent too and as I got close to the end I was waiting for the final punch – it came late and it was pretty good, that’s all I’ll say.

A really clever and engaging tale from an obviously talented writer. I’ll definitely be looking out more of his work.

There is something of The Ancient Mariner about this novel in which an unnamed narrator recounts a meeting with a college acquaintance, Jeff Cook, in an airport lounge when their flights are delayed. Over several hours, Jeff Cook tells his story about how he once rescued an art dealer from drowning and was then driven to find out more about him, eventually getting a job at his art gallery and becoming friendly with his daughter. The art dealer, Francis Arsinault is unaware that the man he has employed was his rescuer, or is he?

Like the Mariner, Jeff seems to find some kind of deliverance by retelling his story and there is an unexpected twist in the tail. The narrator barely intervenes, happy to enjoy the benefits of the first class lounge.

As readers, therefore, we are getting a received version of Jeff from the narrator after Jeff himself has decided how much to reveal and what sort of light to paint himself in. It makes for an intriguing story as his interest in the man he saved seems to develop into a kind of obsession but one which is highly beneficial in terms of employment and his love life. However, we also have to assume that it is some kind of guilt which is driving him even as he reaps the benefits.

Part of this may stem from the fact that Francis is an unpleasant character, happy to deceive the artists he represents as well as other dealers and customers. It is not clear why he engages with Jeff or encourages his rise in the organisation but he believes, or claims, that he has an eye for good and saleable artworks.

That’s about it really. It’s an easy read even if you might wonder at times how the largely incompetent and untrained Jeff can fall on his feet quite so much. There’s also a slight unease in the narrative as if Jeff might actually be being groomed by Francis to become in some ways a projection of his own character which can outlive him.

Things fall apart at the end but Jeff survives and goes on to build his own business and to marry the daughter but his niggling doubt and some kind of guilt suggest that, unlike the ancient mariner, he has not found salvation. It’s a well written story, designed to draw you in and leave you thinking about who owns who!

A different style of perspective which makes this an interesting read. Its a fairly short book, but leaves you guessing and wondering throughout whether or not the storyteller is making things up, or it did really happen to him. I'm not sure I liked the style of writing, but it was still a good read.

Unusual story and premise which I did find interesting. The story did keep you going. It was a short read that was OK. I'm just not sure if it was my cup of tea. Will probably reread at a later date.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an Arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I this book. It was both quite unusual and almost factual in its narration style. A man meets an old college acquaintance in an airport during a flight delay. The acquaintance proceeds to share a story, getting it off his chest to a neutral listener. But is Jeff telling the truth, is he a reliable narrator or just as devious and unpleasant as Francis, the man he saved from drowning? Crisply written, this book gave me lots to think about and I liked the fact that by the last page, I was left wondering…

Well, this was such a captivating, intriguing read!
From the moment I started this, I was fascinated by it. Two old school aquaintances meet at an airport and one of them, Jeff, clearly has to get something of his chest. He has been harbouring a secret for years and decides to offload onto his school friend. I did find that a little unbelievable- why did he decide to tell the narrator all of a sudden when he hadn't told anyone previously? Was it because he thought he wasn't going to see him again?
Once I made my peace with that issue, it was a fantastic read. Jeff's obsession made for a gripping and memorable book, and I would definitely recommend it.

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