Mouth to Mouth
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- Create Date：2022-02-25 06:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Antoine Wilson
- ISBN：198218180X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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
Robin
，
Just really uninteresting。 At least it was short。
Heather
，
NOTHING HAPPENS。 This was EXASPERATING。 2 stars is rounding up。 I don't like to leave super negative reviews because I know authors often look at them but I'm making an exception。 NOTHING HAPPENS。 This was EXASPERATING。 2 stars is rounding up。 I don't like to leave super negative reviews because I know authors often look at them but I'm making an exception。 。。。more
Molly
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The whole time reading I was just wondering how it was going to end and what that last line was going to be。
Sarah
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I had heard about this book on Pop Culture Happy Hour （NPR） and the host didn't share much， so as not to take away from the experience of the book。 It's hard to explain what that means until you have read it， but this story sucks you in and takes you on this twisting ride until it drops you with a last sentence that leaves you in a bit of shock。 （I finished it in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for awhile afterwards！） I had heard about this book on Pop Culture Happy Hour （NPR） and the host didn't share much， so as not to take away from the experience of the book。 It's hard to explain what that means until you have read it， but this story sucks you in and takes you on this twisting ride until it drops you with a last sentence that leaves you in a bit of shock。 （I finished it in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for awhile afterwards！） 。。。more
Michelle Ward
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Storyline was dreadful， characters were just as bad。 I really could not connect with this book and struggled to finish it。
Judy
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4 。5 stars。 Outrageously imaginative story of chance encounters and how they can be life changing。 I think I read most of it with my mouth open， saying "really？" 4 。5 stars。 Outrageously imaginative story of chance encounters and how they can be life changing。 I think I read most of it with my mouth open， saying "really？" 。。。more
Catty K
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The male-centeredness of it all kept me on edge， and while the female characters were realistic if lacking much depth， I think at the end I just found that I didn't care。 And the fact that the guy who wrote Less wrote a blurb on the cover makes me sad。 The male-centeredness of it all kept me on edge， and while the female characters were realistic if lacking much depth， I think at the end I just found that I didn't care。 And the fact that the guy who wrote Less wrote a blurb on the cover makes me sad。 。。。more
Ali Bunke
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This is a good quick read。 The story is interesting and never dragged。I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job of conveying the right tone for the story。
Yvette
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Midway through reading this book， I put it down。 It bored me。 I didn’t want to give up on it， so I watched a YouTube video of the author in conversation with another author。 Sometimes it’s more interesting listening to the origin story of how they came up with the idea for their novel。 The author tells a story of how he actually saved a man’s life from a freight train。 He said a man was air-drumming while walking with headphones and didn’t notice the train advancing。 The author was able to get t Midway through reading this book， I put it down。 It bored me。 I didn’t want to give up on it， so I watched a YouTube video of the author in conversation with another author。 Sometimes it’s more interesting listening to the origin story of how they came up with the idea for their novel。 The author tells a story of how he actually saved a man’s life from a freight train。 He said a man was air-drumming while walking with headphones and didn’t notice the train advancing。 The author was able to get the man’s attention by grabbing him in time to make him stop just before the train passed in front of him。 The man turned to look at him and said， “You just saved my life。 I owe you a steak dinner。” But as soon as the train finished passing by， the man picked up where he left off and continued walking and air-drumming。 In short， the author never got his steak dinner。 Similarly in Mouth to Mouth， an unreliable narrator， Jeff Cook， tells a story about his traumatic life saving rescue of a drowned man at Santa Monica Beach who never thanked him for saving his life。 But did he really save it or did he just prolong the inevitable？ This story is told from two first-person narratives。 One is Jeff himself， and the other a struggling writer who barely remembers Jeff from their days at UCLA。 Both men happen to be waiting for a flight that’s been delayed。 While they wait to board the plane， Jeff decides to pass the time by unburdening himself of a secret that he has kept for decades。 This secret has changed the course of his life and made him the man he is today。 I liked the short chapters and that the book is only 192 pages。 Did I care about these characters？ No， not really。 Would I read it again？ Probably not。 Overall， I can see the skill for what the author has done in structuring the novel and give him credit。 I don’t think it’s a book for everyone， for me it was just okay。 。。。more
Anne
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I enjoyed this more than I expected to！ A short book， it’s a retelling of one man’s encounter with a man he saves from drowning and eventually invades his inner circle。 This retelling takes place in an airport， so not much actually happens in present day; the heart of the story is all in the past。 It’s a simple narrative， and the writing style is plain & simple as well， but it pulled me in and I kept reading straight through because I wanted to learn how it all unfolded。 Curiously satisfying end I enjoyed this more than I expected to！ A short book， it’s a retelling of one man’s encounter with a man he saves from drowning and eventually invades his inner circle。 This retelling takes place in an airport， so not much actually happens in present day; the heart of the story is all in the past。 It’s a simple narrative， and the writing style is plain & simple as well， but it pulled me in and I kept reading straight through because I wanted to learn how it all unfolded。 Curiously satisfying ending， even though （again） it was very simple。 。。。more
Rowena Ebanks
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Wow！
Kate （kate_reads_）
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DNF at 10%
Sorrel Hanlon
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I received this novel as an ARC through Readers First。 This was a quirky little read。 Almost a novella rather than a novel at 179 pages， this was an easy read in an afternoon。 The premise is set up almost like a play， and I could imagine this being set out on a stage， the chapters short "scene like" snapshots as the story progresses。 Set in an airport， a down on his luck author serendipitously encounters a man from his student past who has an incredible story to tell。 A single act in the rescue I received this novel as an ARC through Readers First。 This was a quirky little read。 Almost a novella rather than a novel at 179 pages， this was an easy read in an afternoon。 The premise is set up almost like a play， and I could imagine this being set out on a stage， the chapters short "scene like" snapshots as the story progresses。 Set in an airport， a down on his luck author serendipitously encounters a man from his student past who has an incredible story to tell。 A single act in the rescue of a drowning gallery owner sends Jeff's life into spiral as he tries to gain understanding of the man he saved。 Years later， the charming Jeff recounts this story to our unwitting narrator in an explanation of how he has arrived in the position he has。 I enjoyed this in that it poses a few questions about the ripple effect of choices we make and their outcomes。 It was a simple read， and a well told story with an anecdotal quality。 。。。more
Angela C
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I didn’t know what to expect from this book， few characters and shorter than the usual novel but I read it over two nights， mesmerised by the story。The story is told from an airport lounge， a chance encounter of two old acquaintances after a delayed flight。 Jeff， clearly a man of wealth， tells how his life story has developed since college。 About him saving a man from drowning， feeling like this heroic act wasn’t recognised and how he went on to pursue the man， Francis， who he was， how did he l I didn’t know what to expect from this book， few characters and shorter than the usual novel but I read it over two nights， mesmerised by the story。The story is told from an airport lounge， a chance encounter of two old acquaintances after a delayed flight。 Jeff， clearly a man of wealth， tells how his life story has developed since college。 About him saving a man from drowning， feeling like this heroic act wasn’t recognised and how he went on to pursue the man， Francis， who he was， how did he live his life。The man saved was a highly entitled art dealer， rich， successful but ruthless and selfish。 Continuing with this life of riches， treated staff and family poorly， Jeff ponders whether he deserved the opportunity to extend his life。As Jeff gets a job at Francis’ art company he becomes more embroiled in his work and life。 This story really draws you in， I really enjoyed it。 。。。more
Lauren Cosby
，
While well written， I found it boring。 Very little pay off at the end。
Jaclyn
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It left me with so many questions！ Why does Jeff choose now to tell his story？ How much of it is true？ Can we really trust him at all？ Why did he never admit to Francis that it was him on the beach？ What is the impact from saving another life？ What is the ugly side of it？ Is it envy for the life you saved？ Jeff certainly does insert himself into Francis's shoes。 But why now tell this story？ I love that this novel keeps me thinking about it long after and that I will never come to the answer。 Def It left me with so many questions！ Why does Jeff choose now to tell his story？ How much of it is true？ Can we really trust him at all？ Why did he never admit to Francis that it was him on the beach？ What is the impact from saving another life？ What is the ugly side of it？ Is it envy for the life you saved？ Jeff certainly does insert himself into Francis's shoes。 But why now tell this story？ I love that this novel keeps me thinking about it long after and that I will never come to the answer。 Definitely would recommend this book。 。。。more
jean
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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
Andrea
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Short， engrossing and read in one sitting。 Loved listening to the narrative unwind alongside the narrator。
Becky
，
4。5 stars A short little book within a book！ Our narrator runs into his old classmate， Jeff， at the airport。 With time to kill， they start chatting and the story turns into Jeff’s story。 Brilliantly written， at times I forgot the initial structure of the story， I was so invested in the one Jeff was telling （the intent of the author， I presume！）。 As an avid （maybe excessive） reader， it’s exciting and refreshing to stumble into something that feels so new。 The whole idea of this gave me a little A 4。5 stars A short little book within a book！ Our narrator runs into his old classmate， Jeff， at the airport。 With time to kill， they start chatting and the story turns into Jeff’s story。 Brilliantly written， at times I forgot the initial structure of the story， I was so invested in the one Jeff was telling （the intent of the author， I presume！）。 As an avid （maybe excessive） reader， it’s exciting and refreshing to stumble into something that feels so new。 The whole idea of this gave me a little A Ladder to the Sky （John Boyne） vibes。 The unreliable narrator （in this case， the narrator of the narrator’s story） and the uneasiness about the trajectory of the story…I loved it all！ And that last line - there’s just something about an ending like that。 。。。more
June
，
This was a compellingly told story that pulled me in， but I somehow didn't love it。 I listened to it read by Edoardo Ballerini who really embodied the narrator's sense of sort of ennui and bemusement at the weirdly tragic story of success told to him by an old acquaintance in the airport lounge。 This was a compellingly told story that pulled me in， but I somehow didn't love it。 I listened to it read by Edoardo Ballerini who really embodied the narrator's sense of sort of ennui and bemusement at the weirdly tragic story of success told to him by an old acquaintance in the airport lounge。 。。。more
Sue Davis
，
The structure of this novel is intriguing。 The narrators are far from reliable。 Who was more of a manipulator？ Francis or Jeff？ Does free will exist？ Or was it fate that brought Jeff and Francis together？ Even the original narrator had to share the story and he had not really been a friend of Jeff’s in college。 Everyone is working under false pretenses。
Carla
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Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review。 How delightfully different this book was。 Old friends with a past meeting up at an airport。 One person has a secret they've never told anyone。 A delayed flight means they can finally unburden themselves。 This story is told by the narrator， with viewpoints from both the listener and storyteller。 The story is intriguing and while reading you are awaiting the end of the book and wondering what will happen。 The last s Thank you to Book Club Favorites at Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review。 How delightfully different this book was。 Old friends with a past meeting up at an airport。 One person has a secret they've never told anyone。 A delayed flight means they can finally unburden themselves。 This story is told by the narrator， with viewpoints from both the listener and storyteller。 The story is intriguing and while reading you are awaiting the end of the book and wondering what will happen。 The last sentence。 Oustanding。 Not a long book ， enjoying read in one sitting！ 。。。more
Ana María
，
"If only he could so easily wipe the event from his memory， he thought， while also castigating himself for thinking so。 He had saved a man’s life— had done the ultimate good deed— shouldn’t he want to remember it？ But that was the distance between the thing itself and its definition: he couldn’t reduce the former to the latter。" "If only he could so easily wipe the event from his memory， he thought， while also castigating himself for thinking so。 He had saved a man’s life— had done the ultimate good deed— shouldn’t he want to remember it？ But that was the distance between the thing itself and its definition: he couldn’t reduce the former to the latter。" 。。。more
Mi
，
Fast read nice endingThe book largely held my interest。 I was slightly intrigued and wanted to finish it， but some of the re-telling was just boring。 While I liked the ending， I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend。 Fast read nice endingThe book largely held my interest。 I was slightly intrigued and wanted to finish it， but some of the re-telling was just boring。 While I liked the ending， I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend。 。。。more
Dylan
，
While I've stopped writing reviews， I feel compelled to make a few comments。Mouth to Mouth was an engaging read that kept me interested the entire time。 （If it wasn't that might've been an issue， considering it's quite a slim volume。） I really enjoyed the book up through its conclusion - that is， until the final sentence （which， as it turns out is the final paragraph）。 If this book ended with （no spoilers）， "[。。。] with one exception。" it would've been a much stronger ending。 Instead， Wilson's fi While I've stopped writing reviews， I feel compelled to make a few comments。Mouth to Mouth was an engaging read that kept me interested the entire time。 （If it wasn't that might've been an issue， considering it's quite a slim volume。） I really enjoyed the book up through its conclusion - that is， until the final sentence （which， as it turns out is the final paragraph）。 If this book ended with （no spoilers）， "[。。。] with one exception。" it would've been a much stronger ending。 Instead， Wilson's final paragraph， in an attempt to shock the reader， removes the reader by answering the question， "But what really happened？" So: An enjoyable novel that kept me rapt， despite its simple， seemingly plain setting in the world of art， with a disappointing final sentence。 Alas。 。。。more
Jake O’Donnell
，
Intimate， subtle tension， unique story。 The pace builds and pushes the reader to the final sentence。 I had heard from several sources that the ending was special， I'll keep my opinion to myself and encourage people to read the book。 Intimate， subtle tension， unique story。 The pace builds and pushes the reader to the final sentence。 I had heard from several sources that the ending was special， I'll keep my opinion to myself and encourage people to read the book。 。。。more
Jennie Maier
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting little story。 A quick read。 I liked the point of view that this tale was told by Jeff Cook to the author。 And we never even learn his name。 So odd yet this story works so well！ Of course Jeff weasels himself into Francis’ life。 And then he gets together with Francis daughter。 I think Jeff tries to believe his maneuvering is ok yet knows he’s kinda a loser。 It’s a book of lies， deception， selfishness， wealth， excess。 And what a truly mad ending！！
E。B。
，
1） Premise is not believable;2） “Twist” is utterly predictable- zero mystery there;3） Mystery is how narrator （and reader） sit through this droning on drinking only non-alcoholic beer。
Patty
，
What happened when Jeff saved a stranger's life？ Why is he compelled to tell this story to another （almost） stranger？ So many questions， including just how unreliable is this narrator？What a satisfying and interesting read。 What happened when Jeff saved a stranger's life？ Why is he compelled to tell this story to another （almost） stranger？ So many questions， including just how unreliable is this narrator？What a satisfying and interesting read。 。。。more
Np_lovecraft
，
Old friends meet unexpectedly at an airport and kill time in this story within a story。Very Talented Mr。 Ripley/Hitchcock in its vibes this is a book best gone into cold。 Short enough to be read in one sitting， it twists and keeps shifting until the very end。 I had fun with this one
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