To Nourish & Consume by Ryan O'Reilly - BOOK REVIEW and GIVEAWAY {CLOSED}

Title:  To Nourish & Consume
Author:  Ryan O'Reilly
Publisher:  Black Oak Press
Hardcover, 300 pages
ISBN 10: 0979412811
ISBN13: 9780979412813

GoodReads description:


A HAUNTING RETURN TO A FIERY LOVE TRIANGLE Brian Falk and his best friend, Dabney, share a passion for the beautiful and wealthy Jackie, their childhood playmate and the prize catch of their social set. But, the young men are also drawn to each other a secret, illicit connection that is cut short when Jackie chooses to wed the more moneyed Dabney. Soon after graduation, a devastated Brian flees his hometown and, for ten agonizing years, tries to overcome the anguish that has all but consumed him. Now he is drawn back to try to answer some of the questions he can no longer ignore: Is he over Jackie? Was what he felt for Dabney really love? Does Jackie still love him? As Brian desperately searches for closure, old wounds are reopened, a new love appears and revelations about his past throw his life into renewed turmoil.

My Take:   Any of us who have lived for a while have, unless we're extremely lucky, experienced the betrayal of a close friend and the heartbreak of a first love lost.

To Nourish & Consume is a "coming-of-age" novel of a different sort.  Brian Falk comes home from Boston to Charleton, Illinois, the small town he grew up in, after spending 10 years away.  With one published novel under his belt, he is hoping that the return home will give him the inspiration and time to pen a second novel.

Charleton is a town divided by the harbor.  On one side, large rambling Victorians, home to moneyed summer residents.  On the other, the smaller homes of the year-round, working- and middle-class residents.

As a child, and through high school graduation, Brian's best friends were Dabney and Jackie, two of the summer visitors.  He loved them both, and lived the winter months waiting for the storied summers when he was able to spend time with them.  Their families introduced him to a different sort of life, with the privilege and culture that comes with lots of wealth.


Dabney, with his changeable moods, was always afraid and made up for it with bluster, loudness and aggression.   Jackie, however, pushed down her fears and went through life barely skimming the surface of her own feelings.


This story follows Brian as he attempts to come to terms with his feelings for both Dabney and Jackie.  The loss of their friendship has caused him to be unable to commit to anyone else, and it is evident that he still has unresolved feelings for both of them.  As the tale of their estrangement comes out in tantalizing pieces interspersed throughout the novel, we see Brian reacquaint himself with other old companions from his winters, including a special girl, Alissa who is the sister of another childhood friend.  As he begins to re-adjust to his new "old" life, he starts working with his father, a craftsman and builder of boats, and finds a somewhat creative outlet in freelancing for the local newspaper.

When both Jackie and Dabney reappear, one at a time, into his new life, we experience his struggle to come to terms with his past.

There are certain passages in this book that are so well-written that they were almost lyrical in quality.  I love how the author drew his characters deftly and in small pieces.  The reader gets to know each of the characters, and I felt almost personally invested in how Brian's story turned out.

I really liked this book.  It was quietly powerful, and I don't think anyone could go wrong by getting it onto their own shelves.

QUOTES:


"...Hemingway talks about the 'well' people have, and that it needs to be refilled from the springs within from time to time.  I think that's what we do when we have to get away like that.  I think that's maybe what you're doing.  It's the exhale before the inhale."

"You'll find, as you get older, that it's strange, Brian," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "how small this world really is."
When he said it, I felt small, like a boy receiving his first piece of fatherly, man-to-man advice.

"You know," she continued, "we all try to hang on so hard to things like that, things that aren't quite the right fit.  I don't know why we do it, or why God allows us to, but it happens.  It's like we're so scared that we'll make the wrong decision or that we'll have some regrets about it that we just stay in one place out of fear."

Book Rating:  4.0 out of 5 stars 

Ryan O’Reilly is the author of the travel novel Snapshot, and a free-lance contributor to various newspapers and periodicals throughout the country. He studied English Literature at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri and is a member of the National Writers Association and the Writers League of Texas. O’Reilly divides his time between his business in Austin, Texas and a small farm in Clever, Missouri. 

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ELIGIBILITY:  Open Internationally

End Date:  Saturday, December 4, at 11:59 PM EST

Disclosure:  I was provided with a copy of this title by PR by the Book to facilitate my review.  No other compensation was received and I was not required to write a positive review.