Nothing to See Here: A Read with Jenna Pick - Hardcover

Wilson, Kevin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062913468 ISBN 13: 9780062913463

Publisher: Ecco, 2019

A New York Times Bestseller  ·  A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!

“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.

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

About the Author:

Kevin Wilson is the author of the novels The Family Fang, a New York Times bestseller adapted into an acclaimed film starring Nicole Kidman, and Perfect Little World; as well as the story collections Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award, and Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons.

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0062913468
• ISBN 13: 9780062913463
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272