Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this one and read it in one day. Look forward to much more by this author.

Very intriguing story of teenage angst. Very well written with strong, wry, and witty voice. Appreciated one reviewer’s comparison with Catcher in the Rye, though clearly this novel is a product of its era. Very heady which can also be interpreted as snobbish or privileged. However, despite the intellect and vocabulary of the protagonist, his youth deprives him of context as it has done and will continue to do throughout time.

I have mixed feelings about The Essence of Nathan Biddle. On one hand I enjoyed the atmospheric setting of the book in Alabama in the late 1950s and I was empathetic to the main character, Kit Biddle, a very smart and very angsty young man on the cusp of adulthood. On the other hand, I think this book is much more intelligent and intellectual than I ever claim to be and that meant the dialogue between Kit and his friends (and really most everyone in the book as he worked through his existential crisis), felt forced and many times I was wondering what happened and what I missed. The book is told in four sections and I had trouble with some of the jumps and back-tracking to what had taken place as Kit relates it, primarily to his therapist, in the second half of the book. Kit's story is certainly intriguing, especially some of the secrets and mystery surrounding his family, but at the end I was still scratching my head about what was real and what wasn't and feeling like I wanted more answers and closure.

The writing is beautiful and there were some quotes that I loved and highlighted: "It really is a lot easier to see up when you're lying on your back." (About a calamity making you see the upside of life.) and "Maybe the really beautiful things are like that: little glowing sparks in the mundane darkness of everyday existence." I do think there are those who will love this book, especially fans of coming of age stories like The Catcher in the Rye fans and lovers of Southern Gothic fiction and stories set in the South. For me, I am glad I read it and I'm still thinking about it, but it won't go down as a favorite

I tried three different times to read this book, my thought being that if I have to look up the meaning of words within the first 5 pages, it would be a waste of my time to continue. I was wrong. On the 4th try, and after making it past the first few pages, the story began to open and laid before me a good book with delightful characters. The characters were brilliant, as in smart. The storyline, showed life from years ago but written in way that the reader could see the setting and feel the emotions of the young men and women.

Good writing, better characters. Well worth the time.

The Essence Of Nathan Biddle is the first novel by American author J. William Lewis. Some six years after his cousin Nathan was murdered by his Uncle Nat under instructions from God, Kit Biddle is in a mess. His high-school academic performance has dropped to the extent that his teachers, his track coach and his mom are urging him to do better, to work harder, to get with the program.

Within a matter of days, his adored girlfriend, Anna has dropped him; he learns that a close friend’s mother is having an affair; he stumbles on a Peeping Tom; he is mistaken for his cousin; a friend’s sister declares her years-long crush on him; and he almost accidentally saves a black man’s life, but later is given to doubt it was worth saving. But all he really wants to do is run, alone, and ponder the real meaning of life.

And then he is seriously injured when he rolls a stolen truck, and is forced to spend a long time recuperating. As well as morphine-fuelled dreams, there are interactions with family, friends, and teachers, and a disturbing letter from his mentally-ill uncle. Weekly sessions with a psychiatrist gradually eke out the details of the life events that led up to Kit’s current travails and, eventually, the source of his identity crisis.

In 1950’s Alabama, a traumatic event like Nathan’s murder didn’t automatically attract counselling: Martha Biddle and her son move away from their small town to avoid the notoriety, and don’t speak of what happened. Kit grows into a puzzled, wary and fretful teen, a poet and a runner.

Patience is required for the first half of the novel as Kit’s convoluted thought processes can feel just a bit tedious. There is humour, though, in the conversations with his young Uncle Newt, with his friends, in Newt’s limericks, and in some of what Kit relates during his psych sessions.

The inverse proportionality axioms that Kit and his friend Lichtman devise are particularly entertaining, even if some are politically incorrect in today’s world: “The Biddle-Lichtman theory of quantum yearning holds that the desirability of a thing is inversely proportional to its availability” and “a person’s tolerance for noise is inversely proportional to his intelligence quotient.”

Also “The basic physical-attraction axiom (we called it the “special theory of physical attraction”) is that the attractiveness of a girl is inversely proportional to your attractiveness to her. And the second law (the “general theory”) is equally true and immutable: The number of girls you find attractive is inversely proportional to the number who find you attractive.”

Lewis easily evokes the era and setting, as well as the late 1950’s Southern mindset, and his characters feel authentic. While there will be readers who are dissatisfied with the unresolved identity issue at the conclusion, this is an impressive literary debut that will appeal especially, but not exclusively, to readers of a certain vintage.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group.

Genre: Coming of Age
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Pub. Date: June 1, 2021

The story takes place in the 1950s and revolves around Kit Biddle. He is a depressed, male teenager, who is searching for the meaning of life. This is demonstrated through his actions as well as his writing of existential poems. The highest critique of this ambitious novel is that it takes very little time for the reader to compare “The Essence of Nathan Biddle,” to “The Catcher in the Rye.” Kit, who is beautifully written, will remind you of Holden Caulfield many times. In “Catcher,” Holden finds himself in a hospital for the mentally ill. Kit also lands in a hospital after a car crash, which may or may not have been a suicide attempt. While there, Kit begins his journey of physical as well as mental health recovery. The harshest criticism of “Essence” is that while Kit is learning to find a less depressing meaning of life, the story becomes repetitive. Still, the author does such a good job on showing the reader life’s unfairness and illogicality that I recommend trying this novel.

"No! Sometimes you just have to say no to other's people's reality."

One of the most important lessons I ever learned is this above quote from the debut novel The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis. This philosophical coming of age story is a remarkable testament to thought provoking storytelling.

Kit Biddle is a very intelligent high school senior with a bright future until all the turmoil of life become too much for him to comprehend. When you are a logical person the illogical essence of life can literally drive you crazy.

Kit's father died when he was four, his uncle is in prison and his cousin and best friend Nathan Biddle is dead. To top it all off his girlfriend just wants to be friends. These tragedies are just the beginning of Kit's journey.

A near fatal car crash forces Kit to stay still so his body can heal and, perhaps, his mind can find peace too. As we learn the details about his father, uncle and cousin we see how family can shape us and often form our very being.

There are so many surprising and detailed reveals about why Kit is at an existential crossroads and why there is a one legged heron on the cover of this book. This is a compelling read and one that not only shocked me at times but brought back many of my own questions about what is the meaning of our lives and why the one thing we all suffer is grief.

With many questions and not always answers this is a book to get immersed in but to also question the characters perceptions. It is not quick or light reading but it will stay with you long after you finish it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #Netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for a free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

The Essence of Nathan Biddle has garnered some comparisons to J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, and at first glance it has numerous similarities--Kit Biddle is a teenage boy growing up in the 1950s, struggling with philosophical questions, underachieving in his studies, worrying about girls, and dealing with family issues. But The Essence of Nathan Biddle takes the obvious story of teenage angst and lust and tilts it on its head, so that at points in the novel it is hard to know what is real and what is only taking place in Kit's mind. Kit is also (in my opinion) a more likeable and sympathetic character than the infamous Holden Caulfield. And the history about his family members was interesting and helped me understand his upbringing.

There were a few places where the story goes back and forth in time around Nathan's death and at times I thought it was a bit confusing because there wasn't enough separation between scenes, for example, when Kit goes to bed after a rough Saturday night...and wakes up some time later in the hospital, with no chapter break
or indication of what happened. Later in the book, as Kit recounts things to a psychiatrist, the sequence of events is revealed.

I found debut novelist J. William Lewis' writing to be evocative of small town life for a troubled teenager in the 1950s.

This book has been compared to Catcher in the Rye which I absolutely loved teaching! Protagonist Kit is very much like Holden but much more cerebral as he questions his very existence and has existential questions that had me pondering too. It's one of those books that keep you on the edge of your seat every minute (in a good way) as you struggle to understand Kit and his very odd family. I've always loved coming-of-age books--especially as a retired English teacher, but this one was unsettling (again in a good way) as it's so relevant to society today as Kit must struggle with issues like mental health and "where do I fit in this world?" Read it. NOW!

Another Catcher in the Rye? Far from it. A long story filled with teenage angst, conflict, confusion and little else. I wasted far too much time reading this book that I'll never get back. I am filled with disappointment and regret.

My thanks to Net Galley and Green Leaf Book Group for giving me the opportunity to read this novel. All opinions and regrets in this review are my own.

The Essence of Nathan Biddle is a bildungsroman of sorts, set in the 1950’s Alabama, as Kit narrates his life as a high school senior who is coming to terms with the unspeakable tragedy that in his Uncle Nat’s derangement, credits as God’s idea. With this horrific incident looming over his family, he spirals himself into depression and ends up convalescing after getting involved in a harrowing accident.

This character driven story is brilliantly told through the eyes of a brooding teen trying to find the meaning of his life, understand the grief and loss he has suffered, feel love and acceptance, all the while trying to successfully navigate his remaining high school years when everything seems to be against him.

What I liked was the wording. It was very deep, well chosen words. There were a few times that I made some note hi-lites just to remember how eloquently written it was. I can appreciated a well written, thoughtful book. That said it missed the mark some of the time. Overall it was ok Usually I love a good coming-of-age tale. I couldn't love Kit. I didn't feel the angst or the teen type of pressures.

I wanted the darkness of Uncle Nat to be different. I would have liked to have something to sink my teeth in but I couldn't find it. I don't have much time to ponder the meanings of a lot of things.

I received a free electronic ARC on May 10, 2021, of this excellent novel from Netgalley, J. William Lewis, and Greenleaf Book Group. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Essence of Nathan Biddle of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Lewis brings us through this tale with a sense of sorrow and understanding for the lost Kit rather than pity, or condemnation. I am very pleased to recommend this novel to friends and family.

J. William Lewis brings to us the ultimate coming-of-age tale of the 21st century. Kit, a prep-school senior, is painted large, with pressures and angst the children of the 20th century would have rarely even thought of, much less encountered. His only father-figure, his Uncle Nat, is a preacher who committed the ultimate crime, the mercy killing of his damaged offspring. Facing the adult decisions that have necessarily falling his way, Kit is overwhelmed and not focusing on what is possible rather than yearning for the known impossible.

Although clever, imaginative and very well-written, the story line just didn't seem to capture and keep my attention. Kit was an interesting and complex character to be sure, but a bit too "all over the place" for me to get firmly rooted in. He had too much going on. It felt like a remote control was constantly changing his channels and, just as I started to get really tuned in to the current program, the channel would change again, and Kit would be off like a shot and down the next rabbit hole. However, I will say that some aspects and behaviors of mental illness were quite brilliantly portrayed in a more understandable and identifiable context for those on the outside looking in.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This is a true coming of age story. It's full of angst and self-reflection. I thought the beginning was difficult to get through, and as I continued to read, I found that while the rest of the book felt different from the beginning, I struggled to connect with the characters, and I didn't enjoy the storyline.

The main character just felt so down in the dumps, and he really passed that on to me. I didn't want to even pick the book up and keep reading. I was slightly intrigued by what would happen, which is why I gave it 2 stars.

I know that other readers will love this book. there is a book out there for everyone, so if the premise sounds interesting, you should check it out!

I eventually gave up on this book as it never seemed to get anywhere. I understood the deep and wide range thinking of the main character (my mind went on similar rambles as a young person) but, to me, Nathan came across as such a downer, not quite whiny but close. I suppose in a happier time I would have pushed myself to finish this upcoming book but it's not happening this week.

Oh, the exquisite angst of young adulthood. Our MC Kit Biddle is a star. Smart and athletic he could have it all. The problem is Kit doesn’t even know if he is Kit.

This reminded me so much of Catcher in the Rye. So much tragedy and so much talking about it. Let me say the writing itself is beautiful. I re-read many passages.

I kept wondering who was who and what were they all so shady about? In the end, I had way more questions than answers. It felt incomplete.

Some of the relationships were not explained and while the writing was lovely the story was confusing.

NetGalley/June 1st, 2021 by Greenleaf Book Group Press

I think that I could’ve really enjoyed this book. There was one thing that completely obstructed my ability to enjoy it, and it honestly blew it for me. I think that the author tried to cram every “intelligent” and arcane word that was absolutely possible. I have a rather large vocabulary but I had to stop multiple times a page to look up a word that I’d never heard before. If it was just written plainly and the characters not completely obnoxious “intellectuals,” I think that I would have loved this story. It just left me cold and irritated by the end. There’s a good reason why professors say to not cram every spelling bee word in. It made this story almost unreadable. It’s a shame. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a strange story and I was not sure how to feel after completing it. Were Kit and Nathan the same person after a mental breakdown? The characterization of Nathan and Kit was good but the story was a little lost on me and I found myself not caring, which is never good. Loved the cover. Just an ok book to me.

Thanks to Netgalley, J WIlliam Lewis and Greenlead Book Group Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/1/21

3-1/2 stars

Review of eBook

In 1950s Alabama, precocious high school senior Kit [Kittridge Carr Biddle], feeling alienated and caught in the throes of an existential crisis, spends most of his time brooding about his identity. It’s true that he’s had some truly difficult/horrific things to deal with . . . the death of his father and the murder of his cousin, Nathan, come immediately to mind. His father died in a car crash when Kit was four and his uncle [who insisted God told him to sacrifice his son just as in the Biblical account of Abraham and Isaac] is now in a mental institution.

Despite the efforts of teacher Ira Marcus [who reads Kit’s poetry and tries to help him resolve his issues], Kit has allowed his schoolwork to suffer. Kit’s current obsession is his former girlfriend Anna, who wants only to be friends, and his current girlfriend, Sarah. Kit all but worships Anna, to the detriment of his relationship with Sarah.

Will Kit find the answers he seeks or will the rising tide of his own delusions keep him ensnared in a quagmire of uncertainty?

Told from Kit’s point of view, the four-section story focuses on the teen’s continual fretting regarding the meaning of things. Defined by his self-adopted persona of a tragic figure and by his poetry, Kit cannot pull himself out of his own morass of gloom. He’s tired of hearing that success will come if only he would apply himself, but he makes no particular effort to change.

Despite the strangeness of Kit’s self-introspective analyses, there are hints of intrigue in the unfolding story and the haunting tone of the narrative in its early chapters draws the reader into the telling of the tale. But the teen’s maudlin outlook and incessant despondence are anything but climacteric and the reiteration eventually becomes frustrating.

Unfortunately, the second half of the book, [wherein the accident that claimed his father’s life and the taking of Nathan’s life play major roles], falls into annoying repetition and absurdity. This is especially true for an outrageous last-minute, out-of-the-blue suggestion that does nothing to advance the story but does invoke intense eye-rolling in the reader.

While this angst-ridden coming-of-age tale offers readers some truly adumbrative moments, it doesn’t quite reach the level of a truly influential narrative for the Bildungsroman genre.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Greenleaf Book Group / Greenleaf Book Group Press and NetGalley
#TheEssenceofNathanBiddle #NetGalley