'Breathes new life into the literary thriller... Mouth to Mouth is to be devoured in one greedy gulp' Financial Times

'An enthralling literary puzzle... We have no idea where it is heading, right up to the shocking final sentence' New York Times

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

Alone on the beach one morning, Jeff notices a swimmer drowning in the rough surf - and so he rescues and resuscitates the unconscious man, before leaving him to the emergency services. But Jeff can't let go of the events of that traumatic day, and he begins to feel compelled to learn more about the man whose life he has saved, convinced that their destinies are now somehow entwined. Upon discovering that the man is the renowned art dealer Francis Arsenault, Jeff begins to surreptitiously visit his Beverly Hills gallery, eventually applying there for a job. Although Francis doesn't seem to recognize him, he nevertheless casts his legendary eye over Jeff and sees something of worth - and so he initiates him into his world of unimaginable power and wealth, where knowledge, taste and access are currency, and the value of things is constantly shifting, constantly calling into question what is real, and what matters. As Jeff finds himself seduced by the lifestyle, he pursues a deeper connection with Francis, until morals become expendable and their relationship becomes ever darker, leaving him to wonder... should he have just let Francis drown?

About the Author
Antoine Wilson is the author of the novels Panorama City and The Interloper. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, Story Quarterly, and Best New American Voices, among other publications, and he is a contributing editor of the literary magazine A Public Space as well as the Los Angeles Review of Books. He lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews
The ghost of Tom Ripley hangs over this slippery tale... A novel to gulp in one sitting * Daily Mail *
Breakneck... The author plants and springs his plot surprises like a young master * Wall Street Journal *
Carries distinct shades of Patricia Highsmith and Donna Tartt... A supremely gripping tale of serendipity and deception, and delivers a brilliant ending that will leave you guessing about everything that came before * Vogue, Best Books of 2022 *
'Breathes new life into the literary thriller... In a landscape of literary fiction trending towards navel-gazing, it's a delight to read a pacy story, well told. Mouth to Mouth is to be devoured in one greedy gulp, but the questions it raises linger long afterwards.' * Financial Times *
Swift, and graceful, an agile novel of ideas with unexpectedly sharp teeth * Lauren Groff, National Book Award-shortlisted author of Matrix *
The best book I've read in ages... I see you now, dear Reader, with this novel in your hand and already losing track of time * Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less *
Compulsive... Addictive... Mouth to Mouth interrogates the very nature of identity, destiny and storytelling * Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Orphan Master's Son *
A stunner of a novel. Mouth to Mouth shook and thrilled me from the first page to the last * Daniel Alarcon, author of At Night We Walk in Circles *
I read this book in one rapturous sitting, jotting down line after line, riveted until the final shocking, clarifying sentence * Sarah Manguso, author of 300 Arguments *
Sinewy and mesmerizing... Antoine Wilson's on a high wire and he never makes a wrong move * Marisa Silver, author of Little Nothing and The Mysteries *
A rarity, a perfect narrative machine, working by its own laws. It enmeshes the reader in a trap of complicity, one that snaps shut on narrator and reader at the same instant. Bravo. * Jonathan Lethem, author of The Fortress of Solitude *



Book Information
ISBN 9781838955199
Author Antoine Wilson
Format Hardback
Page Count 192
Imprint Atlantic Books
Publisher Atlantic Books
Weight(grams) 345g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 147mm * 22mm