Book Review: Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with a copy of Kevin Wilson’s novel, Nothing to See Here, in exchange for an honest review.

Madison Roberts seems to have it all. She’s gorgeous, wealthy, and has a perfect family: an adorable son and a handsome husband who is on track to become the next Secretary of State. Her situation changes, when she must take on her step-children, whose mother has recently died. It would be difficult enough to have twin ten-year olds brought into her family, but the twins have a special ability: They spontaneously combust.

The fire doesn’t hurt the twins, but it terrifies everyone else. Madison and her husband are fearful of the twins, worried for their property, and most important, they can’t let this secret destroy their political ambitions.

Madison hatches a plan to contact Lillian, her friend from boarding school. Madison and Lillian were former roomies and unlikely friends. Madison was from a rich family and Lillian was a scholarship kid, but the girls bonded over a shared love of basketball. Lillian’s time at the boarding school came to an abrupt end, when Madison got caught with cocaine and Madison’s father paid-off Lillian’s family, to have Lillian take the fall. Lillian’s life continued on a downhill trajectory, including dropping out of college, working low-level jobs, and living in her mother’s attic.

Although her life was destroyed due to Madison’s actions, Lillian still cares for her. She still has a teenage crush on the charismatic Madison and Madison knows it. Madison uses this leverage to ask Lillian to move into her guest house and become a short-term governess to the twins, Bessie and Roland. Lillian has zero experience with children and doesn’t even like them very much, but she accepts the job, as it puts her in proximity to Madison and provides an escape from her dismal life.

Taking care of Bessie and Roland isn’t easy, but Lillian quickly realizes that she can help these children. It changes not only the way she views herself, but also how she sees Madison.

I loved Nothing to See Here. It’s a quirky, quick read. The best parts were Lillian with the twins. The twins are initially distrustful of everyone, with good reason as they have just experienced a huge trauma ( no spoilers!), but Lillian manages to get them to drop their defenses. Lillian is not someone who is a natural choice to care for children. She has no training and can barely take care of herself, but in a delightful turn, taking care of the twins ultimately helps Lillian the most. It gives her purpose and direction. It pulls her out of her funk.

Lillian feels bonded to the twins, because she is similar to them. The twins are not asked how they feel and are kept as a secret obligation, rather than members of their own family. When Lillian’s mother accepted the bribe from Madison’s father, she didn’t consider how it would affect her daughter. Lillian and the twins have both experienced deep betrayal by their blood relatives.

Nothing to See Here is delightful, unexpected, and full of heart. I highly recommend it.

Book Review- Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang

PLOT- Annie and Baxter Fang are middle-aged siblings attempting to create their own artistic identities, but are constantly plagued by a childhood of trauma inflicted by their parents, Caleb and Camille. Caleb and Camille are famous performance artists, who never intended on having children. Initially, they feared that their children would negatively impact their art, but they decided to turn it around, and use their kids to make artistic statements. The Fangs were famous for creating improvised events at places like malls and restaurants, inflicting uncomfortable scenarios on unwitting suspects, including sometimes their own children, when they wanted to get an authentic reaction. 

Adult Annie and Baxter have each hit a snag in their careers and need their parents help. They've returned home for just a few days, when Caleb and Camille disappear. Could this be another performance, or are the elder Fangs in danger?

LIKE- The premise and characters are quirky in a way that's similar to a Wes Anderson film. Anderson did not have anything to do with the film adaptation of The Family Fang, but the story has his off-beat vibe. 

Wilson's story has a very poignant moment midway through, when Annie and Baxter, who have initially eschewed police help in finding their parents, certain that it is another game their parents are playing, realize that they might be wrong. They both have a turn, when they not only want to find their parents, but are starting to think about life without them. Annie and Baxter own the wrong that their parents have inflicted on them, but also feel a sense of loss. I intensely related to this moment, it made me think of when my aunt passed. We had so much conflict in the years before she died, but I also loved her so very much. This turn is the most emotional point in novel.

Many of Camille and Caleb's stunts are unimaginative, stuff like making a scene at a store in the mall. Their confidence and snobby attitude about what constitutes art, coupled with their feelings towards their children, immediately put me on the side of Annie and Baxter.  Admittedly, at first, I was wondering why their art projects seemed so simplistic and dull? Couldn't Wilson come up with anything better? But no, that wasn't it at all. I was missing the point that Camille and Caleb are ridiculous. They have these very regimented ideas of what it means to create art and they value it above all else, including other people. They force their ideas on others, force reactions. It also dawned on me that most of their art is done in the 1980's and 90's. The need for intensity and extreme, wasn't what it is now. 

DISLIKE- Through a majority of the story, I felt a disconnect. I wasn't gripped and although I read it in about four days, I did read other books at the same time. I know I'm grabbed, when I refuse to put a book down until I finish it. This was not the case. 

RECOMMEND- Maybe. Wilson has created a quirky world and even if I felt a disconnect, I'm still thinking about, The Family Fang. I'm curious enough to check out the film adaptation, which stars Nicole Kidman and Jason Bateman as the adult Annie and Baxter.