A New York Times Bestseller • A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!Named a Best Book of the Year by TheNew York Times Book Review , TheWashington Post , People , Entertainment Weekly , USA Today , TIME, The A.V. Club,Buzzfeed, and PopSugar “I can’t believe how good this book is.... It’s wholly original. It’s also perfect.... Wilson writes with such a light touch.... The brilliance of the novel [is] that it distracts you with these weirdo characters and mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming. You’re laughing so hard you don’t even realize that you’ve suddenly caught fire.” —Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman is in Trouble , New York Times Book Review From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang , a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability. Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help. Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth. Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for? With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of November 2019:Nothing to See Here is a lot of fun to read—and despite its improbable premise (children who spontaneously burst into flames) it is an incredibly moving and surprisingly authentic portrait of parenthood. There is a lightness and joy that permeates every page, even as Kevin Wilson tackles moments that are sure to tug at your heartstrings, if not your tear ducts. When Lillian’s childhood friend calls her out of the blue with a job offer and a promise of reconnection, Lillian takes it—leaving behind her attic room in her mother’s house and a job she hates. There’s a mansion, a paycheck, and a rekindled friendship with her former best friend. But the offer is not as simple as it sounds. (They never are.) It turns out her friend’s husband, who is also in the running for Secretary of State, has twins from a former marriage that have a few issues: They’ve lost their mom, their dad is absent and obsessed with politics, and, oh yeah, they burst into flames when they are mad, sad, anxious, upset—you name it. Suffice to say, Lillian has her hands full. But with time, the kids and Lillian begin to figure out how to care for one another—and might just find love, support, and purpose in the process. Nothing to See Here is an incredibly rewarding and entertaining novel about how we control ourselves, how we learn to protect the ones we love, and how to have fun in the process. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Book Review
Review
“I can’t believe how good this book is. . . . Wholly original. It’s also perfect. . . . Wilson writes with such a light touch. . . . That’s the brilliance of the novel—that it distracts you with these weirdo characters and mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming.” ( Taffy Brodesser-Akner, *The New York Times Book Review* )
“A peculiar, entertaining and insightful book about the hazards of child-rearing and the value of friends.” ( *People* )
[Wilson’s] most perfect novel. Paradoxically light and melancholy, it hews to the border of fantasy but stays in the land of realism. . . . You can sense the real heat radiating off these pages. . . . This novel may seem slight and quirky, but don’t be fooled. There’s a lot to see here. ( *Washington Post* )
“It’s a giddily lunatic premise, one that author Kevin Wilson grounds with humor and deadpan matter-of-factness. . . . Wilson’s observational humor is riotous in its specificity. . . . The writing dazzles. . . . But what dazzles most are the warmly rendered dynamics of an ad hoc, dysfunctional family that desperately wants to work.” ( *USA Today* )
“There’s hardly a sentence that feels like anything you’ve read before, that’s how fresh his voice is. . . . Witty, confiding, breezily profane. . . . That the supernatural elements feel so right is a testament to Wilson’s innate skill as a storyteller.” ( * Entertainment Weekly* )
A pleasing blend of tartness and tenderness. . . . . Wilson’s ability to capture such tangled sentiments makes him a thoroughly engaging and appealing writer. ( *Boston Globe* )
Darkly funny yet quietly devastating. . . . Wilson crafts a stunning portrait of the push and pull of parenthood. ( *Time* )
Funny and even eerily beautiful. . . . It’s the sweetness of this novel that will melt you. ( NPR.org )
Perennially weird and wonderful. . . . Wilson’s portrayal of these fire children conveys more emotional truth about life with a difficult or neurodivergent kid than any of those parenting guides. . . . Funny and affecting. ( *Minneapolis Star Tribune* )
“[A] deadpan, hilarious modern fairy tale.” ( *Newsday* )
Description:
A New York Times Bestseller • A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review , The Washington Post , People , Entertainment Weekly , USA Today , TIME, The A.V. Club, Buzzfeed, and PopSugar “I can’t believe how good this book is.... It’s wholly original. It’s also perfect.... Wilson writes with such a light touch.... The brilliance of the novel [is] that it distracts you with these weirdo characters and mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming. You’re laughing so hard you don’t even realize that you’ve suddenly caught fire.” —Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman is in Trouble , New York Times Book Review From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang , a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability. Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help. Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth. Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for? With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.
Amazon.com Review
An Amazon Best Book of November 2019: Nothing to See Here is a lot of fun to read—and despite its improbable premise (children who spontaneously burst into flames) it is an incredibly moving and surprisingly authentic portrait of parenthood. There is a lightness and joy that permeates every page, even as Kevin Wilson tackles moments that are sure to tug at your heartstrings, if not your tear ducts. When Lillian’s childhood friend calls her out of the blue with a job offer and a promise of reconnection, Lillian takes it—leaving behind her attic room in her mother’s house and a job she hates. There’s a mansion, a paycheck, and a rekindled friendship with her former best friend. But the offer is not as simple as it sounds. (They never are.) It turns out her friend’s husband, who is also in the running for Secretary of State, has twins from a former marriage that have a few issues: They’ve lost their mom, their dad is absent and obsessed with politics, and, oh yeah, they burst into flames when they are mad, sad, anxious, upset—you name it. Suffice to say, Lillian has her hands full. But with time, the kids and Lillian begin to figure out how to care for one another—and might just find love, support, and purpose in the process. Nothing to See Here is an incredibly rewarding and entertaining novel about how we control ourselves, how we learn to protect the ones we love, and how to have fun in the process. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Book Review
Review
“I can’t believe how good this book is. . . . Wholly original. It’s also perfect. . . . Wilson writes with such a light touch. . . . That’s the brilliance of the novel—that it distracts you with these weirdo characters and mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming.” ( Taffy Brodesser-Akner, *The New York Times Book Review* )
“A peculiar, entertaining and insightful book about the hazards of child-rearing and the value of friends.” ( *People* )
[Wilson’s] most perfect novel. Paradoxically light and melancholy, it hews to the border of fantasy but stays in the land of realism. . . . You can sense the real heat radiating off these pages. . . . This novel may seem slight and quirky, but don’t be fooled. There’s a lot to see here. ( *Washington Post* )
“It’s a giddily lunatic premise, one that author Kevin Wilson grounds with humor and deadpan matter-of-factness. . . . Wilson’s observational humor is riotous in its specificity. . . . The writing dazzles. . . . But what dazzles most are the warmly rendered dynamics of an ad hoc, dysfunctional family that desperately wants to work.” ( *USA Today* )
“There’s hardly a sentence that feels like anything you’ve read before, that’s how fresh his voice is. . . . Witty, confiding, breezily profane. . . . That the supernatural elements feel so right is a testament to Wilson’s innate skill as a storyteller.” ( * Entertainment Weekly* )
A pleasing blend of tartness and tenderness. . . . . Wilson’s ability to capture such tangled sentiments makes him a thoroughly engaging and appealing writer. ( *Boston Globe* )
Darkly funny yet quietly devastating. . . . Wilson crafts a stunning portrait of the push and pull of parenthood. ( *Time* )
Funny and even eerily beautiful. . . . It’s the sweetness of this novel that will melt you. ( NPR.org )
Perennially weird and wonderful. . . . Wilson’s portrayal of these fire children conveys more emotional truth about life with a difficult or neurodivergent kid than any of those parenting guides. . . . Funny and affecting. ( *Minneapolis Star Tribune* )
“[A] deadpan, hilarious modern fairy tale.” ( *Newsday* )