Mouth to Mouth
- Downloads：1917
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-16 11:22:09
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Antoine Wilson
- ISBN：1797137808
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
A successful art dealer confesses the story of his meteoric rise in this “sleek， swift， and graceful” novel “with unexpectedly sharp teeth” （Lauren Groff， New York Times bestselling author） 。
In a first-class lounge at JFK airport， our narrator listens as Jeff Cook， a former classmate he only vaguely remembers， shares the uncanny story of his adult life—a life that changed course years before， the moment he resuscitated a drowning man。
Jeff reveals that after that traumatic， galvanizing morning on the beach， he was compelled to learn more about the man whose life he had saved， convinced that their fates were now entwined。 But are we agents of our fate—or are we its pawns？ Upon discovering that the man is renowned art dealer Francis Arsenault， Jeff begins to surreptitiously visit his Beverly Hills gallery。 Although Francis does not seem to recognize him as the man who saved his life， he nevertheless casts his legendary eye on Jeff and sees something worthy。 He takes the younger man under his wing， initiating him into his world， where knowledge， taste， and access are currency; a world where value is constantly shifting and calling into question what is real， and what matters。 The paths of the two men come together and diverge in dizzying ways until the novel’s staggering ending。
Sly， suspenseful， and engrossing， Mouth to Mouth masterfully blurs the line between opportunity and exploitation， self-respect and self-delusion， fact and fiction—exposing the myriad ways we deceive each other， and ourselves。
In a first-class lounge at JFK airport， our narrator listens as Jeff Cook， a former classmate he only vaguely remembers， shares the uncanny story of his adult life—a life that changed course years before， the moment he resuscitated a drowning man。
Jeff reveals that after that traumatic， galvanizing morning on the beach， he was compelled to learn more about the man whose life he had saved， convinced that their fates were now entwined。 But are we agents of our fate—or are we its pawns？ Upon discovering that the man is renowned art dealer Francis Arsenault， Jeff begins to surreptitiously visit his Beverly Hills gallery。 Although Francis does not seem to recognize him as the man who saved his life， he nevertheless casts his legendary eye on Jeff and sees something worthy。 He takes the younger man under his wing， initiating him into his world， where knowledge， taste， and access are currency; a world where value is constantly shifting and calling into question what is real， and what matters。 The paths of the two men come together and diverge in dizzying ways until the novel’s staggering ending。
Sly， suspenseful， and engrossing， Mouth to Mouth masterfully blurs the line between opportunity and exploitation， self-respect and self-delusion， fact and fiction—exposing the myriad ways we deceive each other， and ourselves。
Reviews
Baylie
，
Slow-burn that's only 192 pages。。。？ I'm intrigued-- Slow-burn that's only 192 pages。。。？ I'm intrigued-- 。。。more
Andrew Smith
，
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 l 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。 My thanks to Atlantic Books for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
A。 L。 Bellah
，
Fantastic。 Wilson is a talented writer with an amazing ability to tell a story that makes your heart race and your interests pique。
Paige McCue
，
This was told in a really unique way。 Our main character comes across a man he knew from school years ago in the airport， and with many hours to kill， the man shares a story about how he once rescued a person from drowning， and then loudness his way into that person’s life and learned who he really was。 The entire book was one character telling the other that story， which I haven’t come across before。 I had a hard time deciphering my feelings about this book。 The writing style is a slow burn， as This was told in a really unique way。 Our main character comes across a man he knew from school years ago in the airport， and with many hours to kill， the man shares a story about how he once rescued a person from drowning， and then loudness his way into that person’s life and learned who he really was。 The entire book was one character telling the other that story， which I haven’t come across before。 I had a hard time deciphering my feelings about this book。 The writing style is a slow burn， as if the story is building and building to a twist， and that can be a fun type of read。 However， it felt like the burn fizzled out on this one， I hoped for a bit more character development and action within the plot， I think， because it could have gone in some crazy directions， All in all， an ok read。Thank you Net Galley and Avid Reader Press for the Advanced Copy。 。。。more
Ranjini Shankar
，
3。5 rounded down。 A quick easy read and an interesting character study of a man who saves another from drowning。 It’s labeled in some places as a thriller but it really isn’t that。 The last few pages reveal an interesting twist but that does not constitute a mystery or a thriller。 There were times while I was reading that I put the book down because it was just a bit boring and didn’t hold my attention enough。 However I always came back and I’m glad I did。
Laura Scalzo
，
My cup of tea。
Dennis
，
A quick novella with a great twist at the end。 Imagine bumping into an old college friend and sparking up a conversation about what's happened since you last saw each other。 This story dives into that conversation between the narrator and his old colleague Jeff。 Overall， this book is not going to be one that stays with me for awhile， but I was entertained。 The ending makes the book and I wish we could've had some of that darkness in the entire story。 I would read another book by the author， but A quick novella with a great twist at the end。 Imagine bumping into an old college friend and sparking up a conversation about what's happened since you last saw each other。 This story dives into that conversation between the narrator and his old colleague Jeff。 Overall， this book is not going to be one that stays with me for awhile， but I was entertained。 The ending makes the book and I wish we could've had some of that darkness in the entire story。 I would read another book by the author， but I'm not sure how I would recommend this one to readers other than the fact that it's a quick one sitting read。 。。。more
Janet
，
A fascinating contemporary twist on the classic ‘as told to’ novel， like Lord Jim and much of Somerset Maugham， which strands two old accquaintances in an airport VIP lounge==with a slight flavor of a Mr。 Ripley novel， as the tale-teller， a man once admired by our protagonist when they were both in collage， plays with the other's attraction as he unspools his tale， in which his old admirer is a alternately charmed and alarmed by a fantastic tale of love， fate and a meteoric rise--set in the worl A fascinating contemporary twist on the classic ‘as told to’ novel， like Lord Jim and much of Somerset Maugham， which strands two old accquaintances in an airport VIP lounge==with a slight flavor of a Mr。 Ripley novel， as the tale-teller， a man once admired by our protagonist when they were both in collage， plays with the other's attraction as he unspools his tale， in which his old admirer is a alternately charmed and alarmed by a fantastic tale of love， fate and a meteoric rise--set in the world contemporary art。 。。。more
MD
，
The reader of this book was really good。
Meghan ReadsBooks
，
I am so glad I had the chance to read Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson and appreciate the ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher， Avid Reader Press。 I read this book in a few hours yesterday and that was such a surprise in a good way， I appreciated a shorter novel that was highly engaging and that clearly hooked me right in from start to finish。 The pacing was excellent and the conversational style/storytelling aspect of the narrative and writing was a strong way to keep me engaged and wantin I am so glad I had the chance to read Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson and appreciate the ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher， Avid Reader Press。 I read this book in a few hours yesterday and that was such a surprise in a good way， I appreciated a shorter novel that was highly engaging and that clearly hooked me right in from start to finish。 The pacing was excellent and the conversational style/storytelling aspect of the narrative and writing was a strong way to keep me engaged and wanting to see where the story went and also simply to see how the author would end the story （without a spoiler， it ended with a satisfying last sentence that made this reader appreciate the book even more）。 The simplicity of plot and narrative is blended with truly satisfying storytelling and a strongly developed sense of tension and unease/lack of trust in the storyteller。Three things I liked1。 As noted， the pacing of the story。 The plot is simple in ways: two old college acquaintances run into each other in an airport， one decides to tell a long story that may or may not be "True"。 And yet this works so well as the story being told moves along steadily。 I imagine that this is harder to do as writer than I realize as a reader。 The story seems simple but the pacing and narrative hint at suspense， some underlying tension， and this simmering underlying tension works very well。2。 The context/set up， I thought the use of an airport lounge was great， how else would I want to spend a long flight delay （other than with a book like this one？）3。 The conversational style between the two men， it was done well and the small changes from storytelling to conversation in some chapters worked well to keep my interest and to keep the suspense going。 I highly recommend this to mystery/suspense readers and think it would be a great choice for mystery book clubs， I would love for a lot of readers to discover this book。 。。。more
Tara
，
Why are more people not talking about this book？！？！Two men who were acquaintances in college meet in an airport。 One man is a struggling writer while the better dressed man， Jeff， singles him out to tell him his success story。 Jeff saved a drowning man without thanks and then worms his way into the man's life。 He tells of his raise to power and his relationship with the saved man。 But how much of the story is true and why is he telling an almost stranger？ This shorter （192 pages） novel has a slo Why are more people not talking about this book？！？！Two men who were acquaintances in college meet in an airport。 One man is a struggling writer while the better dressed man， Jeff， singles him out to tell him his success story。 Jeff saved a drowning man without thanks and then worms his way into the man's life。 He tells of his raise to power and his relationship with the saved man。 But how much of the story is true and why is he telling an almost stranger？ This shorter （192 pages） novel has a slow simmering vibe。 The tone （but not the content） reminded me of Herman Koch's The Dinner with a dash of Patricia Highsmith。 Every time I'd pause in reading， I'd note how it seemed so "crafted"。 This is just a straight-forward story that is really well told with lots of atmosphere。 I really enjoyed it and hope many others do too。 Thank you to Netgalley for the advance readers copy for review of this little gem。 。。。more
Matthew
，
An entertaining， propulsive read。 I flew through it in one sitting。 Wilson's writing is razor sharp， his characters psychologically complex and ultimately unknowable。 A fascinating reflection on morality and meaning that culminates in one of the best closing sentences！ An entertaining， propulsive read。 I flew through it in one sitting。 Wilson's writing is razor sharp， his characters psychologically complex and ultimately unknowable。 A fascinating reflection on morality and meaning that culminates in one of the best closing sentences！ 。。。more
Guillermo Perez
，
While waiting for their flights in first class， our narrator sits with an old acquaintance Jeff Cook as he tells him the incredible and sometimes questionable path his life took。 Jeff was walking along the beach one day when he rescued a man who was drowning in the ocean and after days of thinking about the incident becomes obsessed with the life he rescued and what had become of that man。 Through his storytelling， he divulges his story to our narrator cleansing himself of all the things he's do While waiting for their flights in first class， our narrator sits with an old acquaintance Jeff Cook as he tells him the incredible and sometimes questionable path his life took。 Jeff was walking along the beach one day when he rescued a man who was drowning in the ocean and after days of thinking about the incident becomes obsessed with the life he rescued and what had become of that man。 Through his storytelling， he divulges his story to our narrator cleansing himself of all the things he's done over the last few years to get to where he is today。I absolutely loved the way that this story was told through conversation over an executive lounge at the airport。 Through his story， Jeff not only comes off as opportunistic but also relatable， in such a way that though his motives are unclear-you kind of want to be on his side。 It was a fast， propulsive， page-turner that made me want to know what happens next。 The last sentence was the perfect ending to a well-told story。 Loved it！ 。。。more
Marcia （Trendy Simple Life）
，
4。5 starsThought provoking。 Suspenseful and left me with the need to talk to someone about it。Read it if you liked The Silent Patient。
Colette
，
The way this book is written hooks you from the start， or it did for me anyway。 The premise is simple， two men that once vaguely knew each other in college bump into each other decades later in JFK。 Whilst their flight is delayed one， Jeff， invites the other， our narrator - who is also a writer- into the first class lounge and ends up recounting his post-college life story to him。 The book comes in at under 200 pages and flits between the two men chatting and Jeff's flashbacks and recounting of The way this book is written hooks you from the start， or it did for me anyway。 The premise is simple， two men that once vaguely knew each other in college bump into each other decades later in JFK。 Whilst their flight is delayed one， Jeff， invites the other， our narrator - who is also a writer- into the first class lounge and ends up recounting his post-college life story to him。 The book comes in at under 200 pages and flits between the two men chatting and Jeff's flashbacks and recounting of the story。 Most of the chapters are very short， some even a page， but it keeps the book flowing and it feels exactly as it would were someone sitting telling you a decades long story， pauses for questions， prompts， clarifications etc。 Some might ask 'what was the point？'， but it felt like Wilson was diving into the idea of fate versus carving our own path， the choices we make and where the take us， and in our narrators case taking this unexpected opportunity and turning it into something， as one could argue Jeff had done。 It also brings into question that age old sentiment of a reliable narrator。Also， that last sentence。。。 You have a feeling but think 'surely not' and then Wilson just drops it on you and fades to black and I loved that！ 。。。more
Shona Tiger
，
I expected so much more from this book than it delivered。 From the blurb， and after the big event， I thought there would be a thrill or two， or that at the very least there would be intensity; there was neither。 Instead， it was a book about a guy telling a story that sounded like it might be a tall tale， but wasn’t。Without the last line， this book would fall pretty flat for me。 As it was， the last line made me think oh okay， the narrator was as unreliable as I thought; and then the book was done I expected so much more from this book than it delivered。 From the blurb， and after the big event， I thought there would be a thrill or two， or that at the very least there would be intensity; there was neither。 Instead， it was a book about a guy telling a story that sounded like it might be a tall tale， but wasn’t。Without the last line， this book would fall pretty flat for me。 As it was， the last line made me think oh okay， the narrator was as unreliable as I thought; and then the book was done for me。 It’s a good enough read， just not that great a one。Decent to read while on a journey， or just before bed。 Also， I do like that cover！Rated: 5/10。Thank you to NetGalley and to Avid Reader Press。 。。。more
Christine （Queen of Books）
，
MOUTH TO MOUTH evokes the feeling of sitting in an airport for an interminable amount of time， waiting for a delayed flight， while a self-important man drones on， telling you a highly detailed story you didn't ask for and don't really want to hear。 That's also the book's plot， though of course you also get the plot within the plot （the story you're not even sure you want to be hearing from the navel-gazer）。 There's a good ending。 But was that really worth all the sitting around and waiting？ Prob MOUTH TO MOUTH evokes the feeling of sitting in an airport for an interminable amount of time， waiting for a delayed flight， while a self-important man drones on， telling you a highly detailed story you didn't ask for and don't really want to hear。 That's also the book's plot， though of course you also get the plot within the plot （the story you're not even sure you want to be hearing from the navel-gazer）。 There's a good ending。 But was that really worth all the sitting around and waiting？ Probably yes， if you're interested in questions of morality， destiny， and perspective。 Definitely yes if you've got some friends to discuss this one with -- the more I think and talk about it， the more I appreciate the novel。 While a novella， I wouldn't characterize MOUTH TO MOUTH as a quick read。 It does have short chapters though， which helped to move me along while reading。 It felt decidedly literary; there's some suspense but I would not categorize this as a thriller。Thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for a free e-arc of this title for review。 。。。more
Books & Basta
，
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This novel is high literature with exquisite storytelling technique。 The narrative begins by two acquaintances from UCLA running into each other at the airport， both waiting for their delayed flight connection。 The narrator is invited by the character， Jeff Cook to the first-class lounge to talk over drinks while they wait for their flight。 Through their conversation， readers are lured into a fascinating story th Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This novel is high literature with exquisite storytelling technique。 The narrative begins by two acquaintances from UCLA running into each other at the airport， both waiting for their delayed flight connection。 The narrator is invited by the character， Jeff Cook to the first-class lounge to talk over drinks while they wait for their flight。 Through their conversation， readers are lured into a fascinating story that includes a myriad of themes such as existentialism， fate， destiny， parallels， and the what-ifs and almosts that affect your life。 The author’s gift is particularly remarkable for its casual， subtle cleverness in his writing。 Wilson ends the novel just like the maestro of writing that he is…。 I highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Amy Navarre
，
Thank you Simon & Schuster and the Book Club Favorites Friends program for this free ARC！As this is a short book （only about 179 pages） with very short chapters， I expected this to be a quick read; I am dismayed at the sluggish pace。Is the main character， Jeff Cook， a reliable narrator？ I feel character development is sketchy at best and I’m not convinced that this sketchy character development enhances the novel。My favorite part of the book was the last sentence/ paragraph。
Yahaira
，
3。5What a strange little book。 The plot sounds simple enough， I didn't trust either narrator， I wasn't sure what it amounted to at the end， and yet I haven't been able to stop thinking about it a month later。 Is every life worth saving？ Can we manipulate our fate？ And is the art world just another form of manipulation or is it simply a Ponzi scheme？ 3。5What a strange little book。 The plot sounds simple enough， I didn't trust either narrator， I wasn't sure what it amounted to at the end， and yet I haven't been able to stop thinking about it a month later。 Is every life worth saving？ Can we manipulate our fate？ And is the art world just another form of manipulation or is it simply a Ponzi scheme？ 。。。more
Lolly K Dandeneau
，
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔: 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑰’𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅？When the narrator in Mouth to Mouth hears the name Jeff Cook announced over the PA at the airport， he immediately thinks of an acquaintance， a fellow student from his UCLA days twenty years earlier。 The man who strides to the counter is handsome， dressed expensively and nothing like the ‘thrift store Adnois’ he once crossed paths with。 But the Adonis， Jeff， recognizes him immediately and via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔: 𝑾𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝑰’𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅？When the narrator in Mouth to Mouth hears the name Jeff Cook announced over the PA at the airport， he immediately thinks of an acquaintance， a fellow student from his UCLA days twenty years earlier。 The man who strides to the counter is handsome， dressed expensively and nothing like the ‘thrift store Adnois’ he once crossed paths with。 But the Adonis， Jeff， recognizes him immediately and as the two settle into conversation in the lounge while waiting on their delayed flight the story of is success unfolds。 A story about how rescuing a drowning man changed his fate and helped him achieve his rich existence。Rescuing renowned art dealer， Francis Arsenault， from the ocean is a moment Jeff had never imagined he’d face。 A ‘crisis’ he alone had to decide to act upon。 The emotional upheaval caused within Jeff has a staggering effect on him， a life altering moment that urges him to track Francis down。 It leads him to Arsenault’s art gallery and he decides to throw himself into his path， shadowing him for what reason he isn’t entirely sure。 As he follows him， the middle aged man doesn’t even recognize Jeff as his savior。 The real matter suddenly becomes “who was this man whose life I’d saved”， like an obsession。 The things he discovers isn’t enough， too much surface information， he longs to plunge his depths to really know who Francis is at his core。 He needs more than his biography， he wants access to the man and opportunity falls right into his hands。 Lines are crossed， this is how he remakes himself and paints his future。 Moments are contrived but just as often chance guides Jeff along。The men’s lives are tangled from the moment Jeff pulls Francis from the immense ocean。 Francis teaches Jeff about the world of art and sees a lot of himself in him。 Francis tells him he is lucky to have someone like him to show him the way and by being welcomed into his life and family， he learns exactly the sort of man he saved。 He is on the fast track to becoming Francis’s confidant but Francis is no closer to discovering Jeff’s secret， that he saved his life but Francis has secrets of his own that could destroy his family and test Jeff’s loyalty。 Things get even more complicated and Jeff cannot remain neutral， one must always chose sides particularly when they’ve insinuated themselves in another’s life， particularly one that had it’s own dramas already spinning。Is it fate or self-serving acts that have made Jeff who he is today？ For me， the obsession was more about trying to figure out who Jeff is， not Francis。 What is a life？ For some it seems more like parts to be played。 The rise and fall of a hero， that’s all I keep thinking。 Imagine how many success stories share a common thread with this fiction。 Is Jeff really driven by some unseen， inexplicable force or is it just a story he tells himself？Publication Date: January 11， 2022Simon & SchusterAvid Reader Press 。。。more
Alisa
，
Has anyone ever told you a story that had you hanging on every word yet wondering if they are telling you the truth or just the truth as they see it？ This is a fascinating story 'as told to' the narrator while waiting for a flight。 Engaging and suspenseful that keeps you hanging on until the end。 Has anyone ever told you a story that had you hanging on every word yet wondering if they are telling you the truth or just the truth as they see it？ This is a fascinating story 'as told to' the narrator while waiting for a flight。 Engaging and suspenseful that keeps you hanging on until the end。 。。。more
Melinda
，
What a strange， compact， oddly creepy little book。
Kathy Mundy
，
The lounge at JFK airport is the perfect setting for this intimate， character driven novel。 I felt like I was in the lounge with the narrator as he absorbed his old colleague Jeff’s story of saving a drowning man。 Through a series of short， tight chapters the relationship between the saved man， his family， his business and Jeff’s obsession with him is revealed。 There is an underlying level of suspense which simmers throughout the book。 I read it quickly as I simply could not put it down。 It is a The lounge at JFK airport is the perfect setting for this intimate， character driven novel。 I felt like I was in the lounge with the narrator as he absorbed his old colleague Jeff’s story of saving a drowning man。 Through a series of short， tight chapters the relationship between the saved man， his family， his business and Jeff’s obsession with him is revealed。 There is an underlying level of suspense which simmers throughout the book。 I read it quickly as I simply could not put it down。 It is a thought provoking， literary read！ 。。。more
Cassidy Washburn
，
Not a long book and easy to get through。 Had an interesting twist at the end。
Lindsey Snell
，
A fascinating， character-driven slow burn framed by college acquaintances running into one another in an airport and “catching up” in a lounge。
Aida Alberto
，
Not sure how I feel about this。 You're sitting in an airport waiting for your flight unburdening yourself to someone you haven't seen in many many years？ I found his voice condenscending and rubbed me the wrong way。 Very much a manipulator。 Maybe this is how the author wanted to come across but just not for me。 Check it out though as I'm just one reader with an opinion。 Happy reading！ #MouthtoMouth #NetGalley Not sure how I feel about this。 You're sitting in an airport waiting for your flight unburdening yourself to someone you haven't seen in many many years？ I found his voice condenscending and rubbed me the wrong way。 Very much a manipulator。 Maybe this is how the author wanted to come across but just not for me。 Check it out though as I'm just one reader with an opinion。 Happy reading！ #MouthtoMouth #NetGalley 。。。more
Lisa
，
This was a fast， fascinating read that， from the beginning， reminded me of "The Talented Mr。 Ripley。"。 The unnamed narrator runs into a former classmate named Jeff at JFK， and though they haven't had any contact since they were in school， Jeff invites him to join him in the First Class lounge while they await their flight。 There， Jeff tells an incredible story， starting when he saved the life of a man he found floating face down in the ocean years before。 Eventually， Jeff tracks down the man， F This was a fast， fascinating read that， from the beginning， reminded me of "The Talented Mr。 Ripley。"。 The unnamed narrator runs into a former classmate named Jeff at JFK， and though they haven't had any contact since they were in school， Jeff invites him to join him in the First Class lounge while they await their flight。 There， Jeff tells an incredible story， starting when he saved the life of a man he found floating face down in the ocean years before。 Eventually， Jeff tracks down the man， Francis， an art dealer who takes him under his wing。 Jeff never tells Francis about their connection， and he's doesn't think Francis realizes it himself - but he's never 100% sure。 The book was a fast read， but a slow-moving tale。 The author uses big words but short， concise sentences and chapters， all of which l appreciated。 Near the end there were two gasp-inducing sentences， including the last sentence of the book， which left me anxious to talk to someone about it。 Many thanks to NetGalley， Avid Reader Press/Simon Schuster， and Mr。 Wilson for the ARC of this title。 。。。more
Chantel Worley McCray
，
At JFK Airport， awaiting a delayed flight， our unnamed narrator recognizes his former UCLA classmate， Jeff Cook。 While they catch up over drinks Jeff tells our narrator a fantastic story。 Jeff once pulled a drowning man from the sea。 Afterward， Jeff is traumatized by the incident。 He doesn’t even know if the man survived。 He sets out to identify the man he saved。 Once Jeff finds out the man is Francis Arsenault， a wealthy art dealer， his obsession grows， and he worm’s himself deeper and deeper i At JFK Airport， awaiting a delayed flight， our unnamed narrator recognizes his former UCLA classmate， Jeff Cook。 While they catch up over drinks Jeff tells our narrator a fantastic story。 Jeff once pulled a drowning man from the sea。 Afterward， Jeff is traumatized by the incident。 He doesn’t even know if the man survived。 He sets out to identify the man he saved。 Once Jeff finds out the man is Francis Arsenault， a wealthy art dealer， his obsession grows， and he worm’s himself deeper and deeper into Francis’ life， to unsettling effect。 Reminiscent of Hitchcock and Highsmith， Mouth to Mouth is the most addictive thriller I’ve read in awhile。 I read it in one sitting， riveted until the final shocking sentence。Available January 11， 2022。 Thank you Avid Reader Press and Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Reader Copy！ 。。。more
Maggie Smith
，
Mouth to Mouth is structured as a story within a story。 Two former college classmates， never particularly close， encounter each other in JFK airport， waiting out a delayed flight， and Jeff Cook， the more charismatic and successful of the two and a renowned art dealer， proceeds to tell the story of his relationship with Francis Arsenault， a man whose life he saved 20 years before in a drowning accident。 According to him， he’s never shared the details with anyone before and we’re sucked into liste Mouth to Mouth is structured as a story within a story。 Two former college classmates， never particularly close， encounter each other in JFK airport， waiting out a delayed flight， and Jeff Cook， the more charismatic and successful of the two and a renowned art dealer， proceeds to tell the story of his relationship with Francis Arsenault， a man whose life he saved 20 years before in a drowning accident。 According to him， he’s never shared the details with anyone before and we’re sucked into listening as he slowly describes first stalking， then being hired by Francis as a low-level employee and eventually becoming both his protégé and his daughter’s lover。 As near as he can tell， Francis doesn’t recognize him as the person who gave him CPR but regardless， he sees something in the young man and grooms him as one might a longed-for son。 But who is playing with who in this enigmatic friendship？We’re never quite sure where Jeff’s story is taking us —why does he choose to share this now and is his version the truth or only the spin he’s putting on it？ Regardless， I was mesmerized by the convoluted in-and-outs of how the lives of these two men， Jeff and Francis， become entwined， leading to a final page I could not have foreseen。 I found myself pondering many open-ended questions after I finished this book。 Questions of fateful encounters。 Questions of free will and toxic masculinity and men who get off on controlling and manipulating women。 Questions of how we tell stories about our lives and what makes a reliable narrator。 Highly recommended for readers who don’t mind being challenged by a story that doesn’t wrap up with a neat bow at the end。My thanks to NetGalley for access to an advanced reader copy。 Mouth to Mouth releases January 2022 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mouth to Mouth
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mouth to Mouth&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mouth to Mouth&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0