To Nourish and Consume by Ryan C. O’Reilly
Reviewed by: Will B.
About the author:
Ryan O’Reilly, grandson of the O’Reilly Auto Parts founder, is also 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. Ryan’s wild, often death-defying, adventures have nearly gotten him killed; they’ve also earned him travel writer street cred (see his Road Trip Tips for MensFitness.com). O’Reilly divides his time between his business in Austin, Texas and a small farm in Clever, Missouri.
About the book:
Whereas older generations tended to settle down earlier in life and often in the same towns in which they were raised, today’s younger adults – Generation Y – marry later, thus prolonging their youth and leaving more time for career development and living an unattached life. This phase of soul searching puts more time between past relationships, often creating regret and the overwhelming desire to return “home.”
To Nourish and Consume deals with the awkward journey of returning home after a long period of avoiding one’s past. The notion of returning home is something many long for, but in the end is unreachable.
This is the story of three former friends, who reunite unexpectedly in the small resort town they had known as children. For the main character, Brian Falk, coming home brings him face-to-face with a past he spent most of his adult life running from, especially his teenage involvement in a complicated love triangle that crossed both class and gender lines.
Brian hoped to return not just to home, but also to the euphoric experiences of youth; only to find that youth, being transient, is gone forever. His eventual self-discovery comes in the form of breaking certain ties to the past, while at the same time recognizing the role his past has played in sculpting his current life.
My take on the book:
“What am I getting myself into,” is the thought I had when I received Ryan O’Reilly’s newest novel To Nourish and Consume in the mail. I even sent Chris at Book Dads an email expressing my concern that this book might not fit with the scope of his site. This was all before I even opened the book.
Well, forgive me, Mr. O’Reilly, for judging your book by its cover, specifically the back cover. All-in-all this novel doesn’t go along with the norm of what is review