Mouth to Mouth

by Michael Kimball

Michael Kimball first caught my attention in 1985 with Firewater Pond, a boisterously comic novel set in rural Maine and populated by an assortment of aging hippies, horny teenagers, and scheming, small town politicians. After much too long a silence, Kimball resurfaced in 1996 with Undone, a suspense novel that marked a major change of artistic direction. Now, a mere four years later, Kimball has published his third novel, Mouth to Mouth. It too is a suspense novel, and it's a beauty: a moody, brooding, Gothic account of murder, madness, and festering family secrets.

Mouth to Mouth opens with a set piece in which most of the elements of the subsequent tragedy move quickly into view. The scene, ironically, is a wedding. Moreen Chambers, 17 years old and very pregnant, has just married a 27-year-old "outlaw" named Randy, a violent, potentially abusive loser who works as an enforcer for a local loan shark. Moreen's mother Ellen, whose own marriage has fallen on difficult times, despises her new son-in-law and foresees nothing but a bleak, unhappy future for her daughter. As Ellen stands contemplating the travesty-in-progress, looking like someone who is "wondering if it's possible to get away with murder," an attractive stranger whispers in her ear: "Actually, it is."

The stranger, it turns out, is Neal Chambers, 24-year-old nephew of Ellen's husband, Scott. Twelve years before, in the wake of his father's suicide, Neal and his mother had left the town of Destin, Maine, behind, and have not been heard from since. As we quickly learn, the "suicide" of Jonathan Chambers was the direct result of an adulterous affair between his brother, Scott, and his wife, April. That 12-year-old tragedy, the details of which have never been fully revealed, dominates the backdrop of the primary narrative, casting a long, remorseless shadow over everything that happens in this book.

Neal is a charismatic figure who exerts a powerful -- and immediate -- erotic hold over Ellen Chambers. Within days of Moreen's wedding, Neal is ensconced at the Chambers's sheep farm, having volunteered to rebuild their dilapidated barn, a task he completes, with almost superhuman efficiency, in 12 days. (Twelve, by the way, is a talismanic number for Neal, and shows up repeatedly throughout the novel.) At the same time, Neal volunteers to help Ellen resolve her son-in-law problem. Ellen's ambiguous response to this offer -- which she neither condones nor actively forbids -- comes back to haunt her when, early in the novel, Randy suffers a sudden "accident" while repairing a leak in the Chamber's dammed-up pond.

The next stage of the novel concerns Ellen's gradual realization that she has allowed a psychopath to enter her life, and that her son-in-law's fate is just a single element in a complex -- and demented -- agenda that Neal has been working toward since his father's suicide, 12 years before. This agenda encompasses Neal's entire family, all of whom have been targeted -- according to a bizarre but precise numerological system -- for punishments that reflect Neal's deeply twisted sense of poetic justice.

Mouth to Mouth is an intelligent, emotionally wrenching novel that does its work on more than one level. First of all, it is a tense, thoroughly professional thriller that becomes more and more absorbing as the narrative progresses. Kimball has the true writer's eye for character, action, and atmosphere, and his novel is filled with vividly constructed sequences -- a protracted drowning, a forbidden erotic encounter between Ellen and Neal, a staged conflagration in the Chambers's newly rebuilt barn, a climactic encounter in a frozen, flooded valley -- that are alternately frightening and hypnotically fascinating.

But the real heart of Mouth to Mouth is Kimball's painstaking portrait of a family collapsing under the combined weight of guilt, silence, and secrecy. As Neal proceeds with his schemes, he locates the fault lines in a damaged family that has more than its share of dysfunctional characteristics to begin with. As Ellen struggles helplessly against the tidal pull of events, her marriage flounders, her personal and professional lives slide simultaneously out of control, and her distant, incommunicative daughter drifts further and further out of reach. Kimball catches all of this with sympathy and precision, and the result is a powerful, sometimes desolating account of the destruction -- and partial reconstruction -- of a deeply vulnerable family. This, more than anything, gives Mouth to Mouth its emotional and dramatic center, lifting it well above the level of its numerous, less ambitious, competitors.

--Bill Sheehan

Genres: Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Crime, Mystery

383 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great thriller. The story is centred around Ellen and her husband, Scott, and opens at their daughters wedding where Ellen, in particular, is struggling to accept their daughter's choice of husband. A mystery guest at the wedding is revealed to be Scott's nephew, Neal, who hasn't been heard of since a family tragedy 12 years prior.

Neal weaves his way into becoming an integral part of the family, helping to build a new barn on their farm and becoming a confidante and more to Ellen. Ellen and Scott's marriage is struggling and Neal plays this to his advantage as it is discovered he is not quite the loving family member they were lead to believe he was.

The daughter, Moreen, seems to be on a course of self-destruction and Ellen is desperate to help her. She starts to rely on Neal until tragedy strikes and she begins to see his true colours emerge.

A story of revenge, family, loyalty, lies, truth and forgiveness.

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book I would that it was very different from other books I have read. At first I did not like it but then as I read further it was easy to get caught up in tyhe story and I thought it was a good read.

A strange book, but one that will catch you and bring you into the action fi you don't watch out.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

[Nessa Borealis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had to summarize this book in a word, I'd say taut. And unnerving. People swirling around each other with malintent, bad things happening, and sexual tension yanking it all together. As with Mike's other books, Maine is a living, breathing character here.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellen and Scott Chambers's nephew returns to the small Maine town of his father's suicide for vengeance on those he thinks are responsible.

Wow! A real page-turner! Darkly psychological with lots of plot twists. Great characterizations. Keeps you guessing. Highly recommend.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author does a great job of creating a rather sickening feeling throughout. You simply know evil is present and that events will collide in a cataclysmic finale. One particularly erotic seen, but otherwise just steady suspenseful tension.

[Debra]

Stephen King recommended book. He says: "The sort of book you think about during the day and can't wait to settle back into at night. It's sly, sexy, suspenseful and very, very moving."

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A taut, dark thriller, the books opens at the wedding of 17 year old pregnant Moreen, to Randy a 27 year old drug dealer and muscle for a local loan shark, which her mother Ellen is not happy about. Ellen and Scot do not have a great marriage and she wants better for her daughter. An uninvited guest, Neale, Scot’s nephew, who has not been since his father hung himself 12 years beforehand, sends a thrill of excitement through the wedding guests. He offers to stay and build Ellen a barn in 12 days. Ellen does not trust him and is terrified for herself and her family. This was a dark novel about obsession and revenge.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite. This book seemed to go on and on and on, and even in the end there were things left unresolved. I did like the plot and the writing contained a lot of smart word choices, which I appreciated. Took a long time to read because of all the things that have happened in my life so far this year.

[Missy Neiswander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a RIDE! Once you get past the weird almost-but-not-really incest thing…it’s quite a suspenseful but enjoyable read. You’re literally watching a psychopath develop. You’re constantly living in the same fear and frustration that the main character is living in, as flawed as she is. It speaks a lot to unresolved trauma and the toll it can take on a mind when untreated.

[Genevieve Roots · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was way too long and all of the main characters are just awful people, so much so that I didn't care about any of them at all. The romance/intimacy scenes were also full of awkward dialogue and just did not read naturally either. In short, this book started off interesting enough but very quickly went downhill. Would not recommend.

[Alaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read . I loved the plot , and the way the story built up. Even though it bored me along the way , and I know this is a shorter review but to sum everything up . I'd say this book was average.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like any of the characters, and it was pretty unbelievable, but it was ok

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit long winded,but an ok read

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this … kept me up late. Second time reading as read 24 years ago when gifted to me.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy. Quite a tangle for all that’s happened in the past and what is happening and the current motivations. Really intriguing

[TraceyB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was like one of those horror movies—you think the worst is over, but then more things go wrong. Not my usual genre, but good for a change!

[Hege]

Lest på norsk: Svart vann

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really couldn't get into this book and it took me until I was more than halfway through it to figure out why. It's because I couldn't stand any of the characters! They are all jerks -- especially Moreen. I wasn't sympathetic toward any of them and I actually found myself rooting for the killer. Although he was kind of ridiculous and was written almost as a caricature. I just don't think this was a well-written book. I hated everyone in it. Some things were left unexplained. It wasn't much of a mystery (not hard to figure out what's going to happen when the bad guy is "dead" and you still have 100 pages left). It probably only deserved one star, but I got it for free so I was generous.

[Julie Bauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 complaints about this book.

1) The characters live on the coast of Maine. They do not sound or act as though they do.

2) The daughter is an important figure, but it is impossible to get a sense of her personality or to understand why so many people are devoted to her.

3) We all know what happens when the bad guy seems to be dead but there are 5 more chapters....

Three stars anyway because the writing is a notch above most books of its kind. Not a great hand with dialogue, though.

[Danielle]

I picked up this book at the library because it sounded intriguing - a woman hates her new son-in-law and just met someone who might be willing to take of her problem for her. I read the first few chapters and it seemed promising at first - turns out the handsome stranger is her nephew and his father (her brother-in-law) committed suicide under mysterious circumstances. But the more I read, the less I liked it - just too violent and kind of icky. I couldn't seem investing the time to get to the bitter end.

[Gillian Bc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot has plenty of twists and the characters are great. Did keep getting mixed up between two of the female characters though as their names both started with 'M'. There are graphic sex scenes in it that just didn't seem to fit in this book. I'm happy to read such stuff in a Jackie Collins type plot, but I think it would have been better to leave those bits to our imagination. I think this would make an excellent film.

[Mariacarolyn Mendoza · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find this book so destructive, so i will not recommend this book to any of my friends to read.if u are a hopeless romantic and u have so much respect in family affairs, don't read this book.Anyway our opinion differs, so its up to u if want to read it or not.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, no, no! A man writing from a woman's POV? A difficult trick to pull off, and Kimball failed to manage it. Plus his main characters weren't particularly likeable, his villains weren't menacing enough and the plot just plodded. Disappointing.

[Siobhan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This just wasn't my type of book

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

cant recall :(

[Rod Zemke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Jen Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a good book

[Rick Bayko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad stuff happening in the state of Maine. Adultery, guilt, deceit, revenge, and murder. Not all in the family, but most of it. Aren't you glad that you're not one of them?

[Eileen Engel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Irwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

After liking "Big Ray" as much as I did, I decided to try an older Kimball book; I wish I didn't. While it had some gripping moments, other times it was contrived, and way too long. Skip it.