Today I’m finally reviewing The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis. Thanks to Lisa of TLC Book Tours for letting me reschedule my post from June 1 to June 22. I appreciate it!
About the Book:
A subtly wicked, almost Southern Gothic tale of existential angst told by 18-year-old Kit Biddle, an anti-Gumpian southern boy struggling with the complexities of life. The story unfolds against a backdrop of painful chaos: Kit’s revered uncle, Nathaniel Tyler Biddle, Jr., has sacrificed his only son on direct and specific orders, according to Rev. Biddle, from God himself. As Kierkegaard has suggested, the comic and the tragic converge on Kit’s desperate search for meaning in a willy-nilly world of opaque walls and filtered light.
The enigmatic Anna appears with all the attributes of Kit’s yearning and imagination and then, just like that, she disappears like a phantom in a fog, only to be replaced by the enigmatic Sarah who reverses the roles and projects onto Kit all her desires and imaginings. Standing on one leg in the darkness, Death beckons to Kit with a promise of light and comfort but instead leaves him lying in his own blood on hot pavement with neither clarity nor relief. Who is Kit Biddle? He may actually be Nathan Biddle but who in the world is that?
When the fog dissipates—if the clarity he seeks finally appears—does Kit really want the answers he finds?
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
About the Author:
Alabama native J. William Lewis is a former lawyer who lives in Shoal Creek, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Born in Chickasaw, Alabama, Lewis grew up in Mobile. He graduated from Spring Hill College (A.B., magna cum laude, English and Philosophy) where he was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu and recipient of the Merihl Award. While in college, Lewis served as editor-in-chief of the literary magazine The Motley. Lewis received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and served on the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review.
After a clerkship for the Honorable Walter P. Gewin on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Lewis practiced law in Birmingham for over three and a half decades.
Presently, Lewis serves as executive officer of his family’s investment company, Seaman Capital, LLC, and related companies.
He has been married to Lorraine Seaman Lewis for more than half a century.
The Essence of Nathan Biddle is his debut novel.
What I thought…
I have to admit, while I was looking forward to reading this book from the description above, once I dove in, I struggled a bit. I like to think of myself as an astute reader, but the existential mumbo-jumbo and pseudo-intellectualism of the teenage characters, annoyed me. Part I was a slog-fest. But during Parts II, III, and IV, I found a groove. I did want to find out the “essence” of Kit Biddle, our narrator. I wanted to know, just like his psychiatrist, what caused his obsession with who he was and how he had gotten to this place.
There were a few characters (like Uncle Newt) that I would have liked to have seen developed. The author presented Newt in the first part of the book and then we never saw him again; we only heard about him from Kit.
Ultimately, I’m rating this book a 3+ (out of five stars). Maybe the structure was off a bit, but I did finally finish the novel and I guess I will say it intrigued me. I’m anxious to see what others thought. Please check out their posts and reviews as well at the end of this post.
The food:
There was little to no food mentioned in the novel. I did see some daiquiris (that a young Kit is introduced to with a pseudo-Mrs. Robinson vibe), pickled eggs, some Coca-Colas, a PBJ, scrambled eggs, and a burnt-down BBQ joint. Not a lot to choose from and I almost skipped the food tie-in for this review.
Then, I went back to the daiquiris. I found a recipe for The Hemingway Daiquiri here. I didn’t double the rum like Hemingway did for his cocktail order, but I was intrigued by the addition of grapefruit juice.
Hemingway Daiquiri
The history (or essence) of this cocktail is interesting. Read about it here.
Ingredients
- 1 oz. white rum (or 2 oz. if you need it)
- 1/2 oz. Amaretto (The original recipe calls for maraschino liqueur. I had none.)
- 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1/2 oz. grapefruit juice
- lime peel or lime wheel to garnish
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
- Strain into a coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
- Sip.
Yield: 1
As Kit ponders his future at the end of the novel and tries to find his own essence, he might need to read some Hemingway to discover a stoic nature (and when he reaches the legal drinking age, have a cocktail). 
I might say that if Kit had been drinking these delicious cocktails, it’s no wander he downed so many. These are my new favorites and are delicious and refreshing for summer sipping.
Again, please check out the reviews from the other tours.
Instagram features:
Monday, May 10th: @bookswritingandmore
Tuesday, May 11th: @stacy40pages
Wednesday, May 12th: @hotcocoareads
Thursday, May 13th: @andrea.c.lowry.reads
Friday, May 15th: @tbretc
Saturday, May 15th: @readwithmason
Sunday, May 16th: @the.caffeinated.reader
Monday, May 17th: @wherethereadergrows
Wednesday, May 19th: @bookshelfmomma
Thursday, May 20th: @bookpairings
Friday, May 21st: @happiestwhenreading
Saturday, May 22nd: @lifeinlit
Sunday, May 23rd: @thebookend.diner
Monday, May 24th: @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf
Wednesday, May 26th: @dropandgivemenerdy
Monday, May 31st: @nurse_bookie
Reviews:
Monday, May 31st: Nurse Bookie
Monday, May 31st: @jenniaahava
Wednesday, June 2nd: She Just Loves Books and @shejustlovesbooks
Thursday, June 3rd: The Sketchy Reader
Monday, June 7th: @mrsboomreads
Wednesday, June 9: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Thursday, June 10th: Kahakai Kitchen
Friday, June 11th: @babygotbooks4life
Monday, June 14th: From the TBR Pile
Wednesday, June 16th: Books and Bindings
Thursday, June 17th: Blunt Scissors Book Reviews and @bluntscissorsbookreviews
Friday, June 18th: Openly Bookish
Monday, June 21st: @aimeedarsreads
Tuesday, June 22nd: Eliot’s Eats
Wednesday, June 23rd: Write Read Life
Friday, June 25th: Girl Who Reads
What is anti-Gumpian?
The cocktail sounds really wonderful!
Opposite of Forrest Gump. I’m assuming the comparison is because Forrest was simple and Kit is highly intellectual. Good catch, Angie. I had to go back and search the blurb for that. Cocktail is wonderful!
Thanks, Deb. I have just learned a new word. Have a good day!
Yep, me too! 🙂
The reviews have been interesting on this one! Thanks for sticking with it. The Hemingway Daquiri sounds interesting…
Yes. I bet. I’m off to check out some of the other reviews. Thanks for the extension! 🙂
You convinced me to skip this novel. I think I would like the drink, though.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
There were some reviews that raved about the book. It had great promise….just not a lot of follow through. IMHO.
Mmmmmm….. a Hemingway Daiquiri. I’m liking this recipe.
Love your preamble to the book, you are such a good reviewer 🙂
Speaking of Hemingway, I just got the three disk PBS biography about Hemingway and am looking forward to that.
Love. Love. Love the documentary. It’s gotten me back on a Hemingway kick.
Well, good review, and I’d have to say the book – not so much, but the Hemingway Daiquiri – a necessary antidote! Cheers 🙂
My new favorite cocktail. I really like the Amaretto in it.
oh okay i see what anti-Gumpian is in your reply above. this book doesn’t sound like my kind of thing at all!! but the daiquiri sounds tasty.
Thanks for the review! Haven’t read the book and I don’t think I will. Have had the cocktail though — it’s so good (and it’s really worth trying it with maraschino — such a great tasting liqueur).
I quit searching after two liquor stores. Decided to just use what I had on hand, but it does sound amazing!
Not my genre of choice but the cocktail? That could definitely be my choice.
[…] Tuesday, June 21st: Eliot’s Eats […]
I used to order daiquiris while we were living in Santo Domingo but I have to say from looking at this recipe for a Hemingway Daiquiri, that it is very different from any that I’ve had. It sounds good and I’ll have to try it over the summer as it sounds like it would be a cocktail that I would enjoy.