Description

A Barack Obama Summer Read

‘Carries distinct shades of Patricia Highsmith and Donna Tartt… Supremely gripping’
Vogue, Best Books of the Year

Alone on the beach one morning, Jeff notices a swimmer drowning in the rough surf. He rescues and resuscitates the unconscious man, then quietly leaves when the emergency services take over. 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.

Upon discovering that it was the renowned millionaire art-dealer Francis Arsenault, Jeff begins to visit his gallery, eventually applying there for a job. Although Francis doesn’t seem to recognize Jeff, he soon takes him under his wing, initiating him into a world of unimaginable power and wealth. 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 Jeff finally to wonder… should he have just let Francis drown?

‘Devilish’ Esquire, Best Books of the Year

‘Jaw-dropping’ Time, Must Read Book of the Year

Publisher Review

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 * Jaw-Dropping * Time, Must Read Book of the Year * A gem of a novel... Devilish * Esquire, Best Books of 2022 * The ghost of Tom Ripley hangs over this slippery tale... A novel to gulp in one sitting * Daily Mail * Breathes new life into the literary thriller... Mouth to Mouth is to be devoured in one greedy gulp * Financial Times * Breakneck... The author plants and springs his plot surprises like a young master * Wall Street Journal * Incredibly taught, funny, brilliantly described... Propulsive all the way up until the very end, which is unexpected and inevitable, as all the best endings are * Vanity Fair * The writing is superb, the pace pitch-perfect, the slim story so gripping I read it within 24 hours * Boston Globe * 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 *