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Antoine Wilson: Mouth to Mouth (Hardcover, 2022, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster) 4 stars

Review of 'Mouth to Mouth' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I almost DNFed this because it starts out a little too slow, but it was so short I decided to keep going. It ended up being a good time - maybe a 3.5 rounded up.

This is the story of a young man who saves a middle aged rich man's life, and then their lives get weirdly intertwined. Unreliable narrator to the max, which I enjoy. I also enjoyed this kind of exploration into the art world - the business, the corruption, the rich people rich peopling. The book is definitely /saying/ something about those things but it's not heavy-handed, and Wilson does not pontificate about it.

I like the ending and the doubt it throws on everything else (not that you aren't already skeptical of this guy's version of his story). But I wish it had been a tad more subtle, little sneakier. I'm also not sure why we needed a frame story - I think I'd have enjoyed it more if Jeff were talking to me.

There were parts through the middle that were dull for me, but I did enjoy the way that the layers were peeled back on Francis and his family. The fact that Jeff is constantly watching Francis for what he actually knows/remembers or not is a fun piece of tension. I will definitely try more from Wilson.