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Nothing to See Here

Kevin Wilson (Goodreads Author)

3.95 · Rating details · 25,803 ratings · 3,929 reviews

Kevin Wilson’s best book yet—a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with remarkable and disturbing abilities

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’ ...more

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ebook, 272 pages

Published October 29th 2019 by Ecco

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Lists with This Book

Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

2020 Tournament of Books Short List

18 books — 22 voters

2020 Tournament of Books Long List

62 books — 36 voters

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· 25,803 ratings · 3,929 reviews

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Jan 22, 2020 Meredith rated it really liked it

Shelves: overdrive

Quirky and Heartwarming

Nothing to See Here is about two small children who have the power to spontaneously combust. Yup. Sounds crazy, but Kevin Wilson pulls it off!

The premise is a little odd, but it lured me in and works to examine an undercurrent of themes, including class divisions, the dynamics of friendship, otherness, loneliness, and the power of love.

I love the tone of Nothing to See Here--narrated by Lillian (the caregiver of the fire children), it's dark, emotional, and filled with ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-that-made-me-cry, creepy-children, my-biggest-fear, grgiveaways, bea-2019-wishlist

“This is weird, Madison. You want me to raise your husband’s fire children.”

i won this through the gr giveaways but i didn’t read it right away—choosing instead to read ARCs of books that were coming out before this one, then delaying it further for my horror-only october bookplan. i thought i had plenty of time before it pubbed because i saw this on the side of the ARC:

and misunderstood it to mean it was pubbing on the 19th of november instead of in november 2019. which i now realize is a ...more

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Dec 27, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Surprising, entertaining, emotional, original!

Dysfunctional family dynamics, political ambitions, fire-starter kids seem like little Drew Barrymore’s incarnations, not reciprocated, quirky best friend a.k.a nanny’s surprising connection with them, finding her new life purpose.

This book is definitely different fiction you’ve lately read. Lillian doesn’t come from money. She needs to work so hard to deserve a place and prove her value in the society.

She has no father and a problematic, selfish Surprising, entertaining, emotional, original!

Dysfunctional family dynamics, political ambitions, fire-starter kids seem like little Drew Barrymore’s incarnations, not reciprocated, quirky best friend a.k.a nanny’s surprising connection with them, finding her new life purpose.

This book is definitely different fiction you’ve lately read. Lillian doesn’t come from money. She needs to work so hard to deserve a place and prove her value in the society.

She has no father and a problematic, selfish mother with lots of boyfriends. When she finally gets her scholarship to have a chance for better education at the boarding school, she thinks her luck has changed. She befriends rich, awkward roommate Madison but as soon as her friend gets into trouble with drugs, Madison’s parents offer to bribe her to take the blame. And of course Lillian’s mother accepts the offer, taking the money, causing her daughter get expelled from the school.

After the incident Lillian stops fighting and living her life without any aim, dream or future plans, living at the small room at her mother’s house. But her life changes again when her old best friend (now she is married with US senator, having the benefits of luxurious, wealthy life) comes with a job offer. She wants her to be the governess of her step kids who recently lost their mothers and they will move to live their mansion. ( Of course they will live separated at the guest house with their future nanny) But yes, there is a little problem about the kids. They can be violent, biting and attacking people. But no! That’s not the only people. Yes, they’re suffering from trauma because they were with their mother when she committed suicide. They also PUT EBERYTHING INTO FIRE while they’re singing “Disco Inferno”

And guess what Lillian accepts the offer because she doesn’t have any better thing to do. She needs a separate place, she needs money, she has to get away from her shitty room and her own mother’s shitty attitudes but mostly she accepts it because she wants to reunite with her friend and spend more time with her.

But instead of reconnecting with her friend, she sees different face of her and realized the facts and dynamics about their long distance friendship (some kind of pen-friendship) and she connects with those quirky but neglected, innocent children. As soon as they also start to form a deep friendship with her, Lillian’s life will never be the same because their parents are so adamant to send them to the boarding school for getting them out of their way to follow the political carrier they planned meticulously.

So Lillian needs to make a big decision which will affect both her life and the children’s.

The final twist of the book made me smile and entertain a lot. Seeing the hypocrisy, ambition, selfishness of the characters and putting their lives at first made me love Lillian more. Maybe she seems like a loser without anything she fights for but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t care anything or she doesn’t have enough capacity to discover and develop her skills. I liked her and I liked those firefly kids so much.

I read this story at one sit and I couldn’t put it down, skipping the meals ( Thankfully at Christmas day, I ate for entire week so it didn’t affect me as I expected.) It’s one of the unique, smart, interesting, moving, powerful readings of the year and I absolutely, highly recommend it. ...more

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Nov 03, 2019 Larry H rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

This is truly an odd, funny, poignant book about finding a place and people with whom you belong, and how family can spring from the strangest of situations.

"How did people protect themselves? How did anyone keep this world from ruining them?"

Lillian has always accepted that she won’t accomplish much in life. For a brief moment in her teenage years, however, she attended a private high school and befriended Madison, a beautiful but quirky rich girl, and Lillian started to believe she had This is truly an odd, funny, poignant book about finding a place and people with whom you belong, and how family can spring from the strangest of situations.

"How did people protect themselves? How did anyone keep this world from ruining them?"

Lillian has always accepted that she won’t accomplish much in life. For a brief moment in her teenage years, however, she attended a private high school and befriended Madison, a beautiful but quirky rich girl, and Lillian started to believe she had potential. But Lillian had to leave school in the wake of a scandal and everything went back to the way it used to be. And that’s the way her life went for a number of years until Madison, now the wife of a U.S. senator with greater ambitions, summons her with a proposal.

Madison’s young stepchildren have lost their mother and the right thing to do for appearances’ sake is for them to move home. But these children have been raised horribly, mistreated, all because of one thing—they spontaneously combust when they get agitated and flames ignite their skin without harming them. Is this something they can control? No one has ever really tried to figure it out.

Lillian agrees to serve as the children’s governess of sorts and keep them out of harm’s (and the media’s) way for a while. It is expected that Madison's husband will be nominated as Secretary of State, so the children need to keep a low profile through the confirmation process.

Lillian doesn’t count on how observant and desperate for love and approval the children are, and she doesn’t count on how much she has needed to be needed. She works on winning their trust, making them believe her feelings are true, which Lillian has to believe, too. Fighting for the children’s best interests—no mean feat given how the deck is stacked against them—awakens feelings of love and protectiveness she never imagined she’d feel.

This is a quirky book but it’s one that definitely worked its way into my heart. The characters aren’t sympathetic in many ways but I devoured this. Kevin Wilson, who also wrote The Family Fang, really created a moving story.

NetGalley and Ecco Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/. ...more

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Nov 23, 2019 Robin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction, american, group-read, 2019

This book was a freaking balm on my soul. You have to understand, I have been completely SWAMPED in the waters of Moby Dick and the meandering ramblings of Midnight's Children - I know... WHAT WAS I THINKING?? But this book, folks, this book is short, (darkly) funny, and easily holds your interest. There are no dissertations on whaling to be found here, or a dizzyingly long character list. Never, at any point, did a hopelessness descend on me, or existential questions assault me (will I ever ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 JanB rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss, buddy-read-with-marialyce, 2019-reads

4.5
It takes a lot of skill for an author to write a book about children bursting into flames and do it in a way that makes it not only believable, but endearing. I absolutely loved this quirky, funny, and sweet story.

Lillian hears from Madison, her old friend and roommate, asking for a favor. The two have a checkered history, with Madison being blessed with beauty and wealth, while Lillian, having neither, does Madison’s bidding, getting nothing in return. This time the favor is asking 4.5
It takes a lot of skill for an author to write a book about children bursting into flames and do it in a way that makes it not only believable, but endearing. I absolutely loved this quirky, funny, and sweet story.

Lillian hears from Madison, her old friend and roommate, asking for a favor. The two have a checkered history, with Madison being blessed with beauty and wealth, while Lillian, having neither, does Madison’s bidding, getting nothing in return. This time the favor is asking Lillian to be a governess to her husband Jasper’s 10-year-old twins, Roland and Bessie. The one tiny problem? The children have a tendency to erupt into flames. The children’s unusual tendency could derail Jasper’s political aspirations so Lillian’s job is to keep them out of sight and out of trouble.

Wickedly funny and heartwarming, I fell in love with Bessie and Roland. Anyone who has children can agree that bursting into flames is an excellent metaphor to describe what happens when children become overwhelmed by strong emotions.

I felt for these children and for Lillian. All three have been damaged by life and what they build together is utterly charming. Lillian is a refreshing character and I loved the way she interacted with the children. She sees something of herself in them. I loved her voice and self-deprecating demeanor. She needs the children as much as they need her.

I found the first 25% a bit slow but once the children appear the story took off. There’s much to say here about family, money, power, friendship, and politics but the themes were delivered with a lot of humor and heart. This was a fun read with substance, one Marialyce and I enjoyed.

Highly recommended!

A caveat: If you are offended by the f-bomb be aware that according to a kindle search, it’s dropped 211 times in 272 pages. I felt it was so overused it became tiresome. But yet. These characters wormed their way into my heart in a way I won’t soon forget.

• I received an e-galley from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
• For our duo reviews of this book and others please visit https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres... ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Lisa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-favorites

[4.5] The idea of a plot involving two kids who spontaneously ignite when they get anxious didn't sound appealing to me. But I was wrong. I loved the main character, Lillian, an outsider who is stuck in her life until an old friend calls for her help. I loved the way Wilson portrayed the two very likable kids - who have been unfairly treated by their family because of their unusual ability (or disability).

I was pulled into this novel from the first pages and got up for air only to help prepare ...more

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Jun 26, 2019 Fran rated it it was amazing

Lillian had "a desire to be superlative...a sterling representative of this backward county"... when she won a scholarship to prestigious Iron Mountain Girls Preparatory School. Lillian and her roommate Madison became fast friends despite the fact that upper crust Madison "...had been raised since birth to recognize importance. [Lillian] was not that." However, Lillian and Madison needed each other. They strived to "tamp down their weirdness." Madison acknowledged that rich people "... had to be Lillian had "a desire to be superlative...a sterling representative of this backward county"... when she won a scholarship to prestigious Iron Mountain Girls Preparatory School. Lillian and her roommate Madison became fast friends despite the fact that upper crust Madison "...had been raised since birth to recognize importance. [Lillian] was not that." However, Lillian and Madison needed each other. They strived to "tamp down their weirdness." Madison acknowledged that rich people "... had to be composed in public...were supposed to act a certain way." Lillian was treated like a poor,"strange" scholarship kid. Lillian's fallen from grace occurred when she took the rap for Madison and was expelled from the prep. school. More than a decade later, Madison was "a mover and a shaker", married to Senator Jaspar Roberts. Lillian worked two cashier jobs and smoked weed. She and Madison became pen pals communicating solely by mail. Fifteen years had passed since Lillian was forced to leave the school..but...change was coming!

Change arrived in the form of a request from Madison to visit the Roberts Estate in Tennessee. A job opportunity. Jaspar Roberts was being vetted for the position of Secretary of State. Since Jaspar's ex-wife had died, he was responsible for ten year old twins, Bessie and Roland. Madison offered Lillian the job of governess for two unsocialized, home schooled children. As governess, she would spend the summer with the kids in the estate's guest house and, by the way, the children had a "unique" affliction. If they got really agitated, they would spontaneously combust. Senator Roberts wanted the children "safeguarded" until the vetting process was completed. Lillian was currently living with her mom and mom's "rotating cast of her boyfriends". Lillian felt needed by Madison and accepted this daunting job.

Bessie and Roland were angry children. They previously had been expelled from Jaspar's Estate after their parent's divorce. Will their bitterness dissipate when they live in the estate's guest house with Lillian? Lillian was searching for direction in her life. How could she, unfamiliar with the needs of children, prevent the twins from overheating and fully bursting into flames?

"Nothing to See Here" by Kevin Wilson brings many issues to the forefront. These challenges include finding one's inner strength, friendship and loyalty, money and power ...dark humor included! Author Wilson does a superb job. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you HarperCollins Publishers/ Ecco and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Nothing to See Here".
...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Cheri rated it really liked it

Shelves: family-relationships, arc, netgalley, tennessee, fiction-contemporary, politics, 2019

!! NOW AVAILABLE !!

Originally I came across this book when I was reading the excerpts in the Buzz Books 2019 Fall / Winter collection of the best stories to look out for in the coming months. It sounded promising, but it took me a while to request this since this is an author I wasn’t familiar with. I’m glad that I did, even more so when I saw the author’s Dedication – ”For Ann Patchett and Julie Barer” having recently spent time in another world courtesy of Ann Patchett.

Madison is the daughter !! NOW AVAILABLE !!

Originally I came across this book when I was reading the excerpts in the Buzz Books 2019 Fall / Winter collection of the best stories to look out for in the coming months. It sounded promising, but it took me a while to request this since this is an author I wasn’t familiar with. I’m glad that I did, even more so when I saw the author’s Dedication – ”For Ann Patchett and Julie Barer” having recently spent time in another world courtesy of Ann Patchett.

Madison is the daughter of a well-to-do family, and Lillian is a girl born into an impoverished life, both monetarily and in affection. Lillian makes her way to her dorm room alone after her mother drops her off at the esteemed Iron Mountain Girls Preparatory School, cautioning her that she’s about to enter a world for which she’s utterly unprepared.

” As I walked to my dorm, I realized that the other girls didn’t even look at me, and I could tell that it wasn’t out of meanness. I don’t think they even saw me; their eyes had been trained since birth to recognize importance. I wasn’t that.”

They become friends almost as soon as they meet when Lillian arrives, but there is a sense of an uneven nature to their friendship. Madison takes Lillian under her wing, and just as easily, places her under the guillotine when it serves her purpose, and Lillian ends up expelled from the only chance she’s ever had to escape the life she was born into.

Time passes, fifteen years, and although they’ve communicated through mail periodically, but not regularly. And then Madison contacts her, asking her to come visit their estate, without stating the job opportunity she has in mind – a job as governess, caring for, watching over her husband Jaspar’s twins by his now-deceased ex-wife. Bessie and Roland are ten-years-old, and are not like most ten-year-olds, they have an exceptionally unfortunate condition, which seems to “flare up.” When annoyed, agitated, angry they seem to, well, umm… spontaneously combust. Most unfortunate. But, the problems directly created are less the issue that concerns Madison and Jasper, they are more concerned that Jasper’s political future will be impacted should other become aware of this information.

Since it’s impossible to determine when and where these incidences might occur, it’s considered “best for all” if Lillian lives in a “guest cottage” on their massive property with the twins, with the added charge of making sure she also handles the twins home schooling. Since Jasper, excuse me, Senator Roberts, was being vetted for a potential position in a large white home on Pennsylvania Avenue. Of course, it would never do for a prominent political figure, especially with so many eyes on him, to have children who could create awkward moments – especially those involving flames sparked by a moment of anger. The publicity would ruin him, imagine the tweets generated!

I enjoyed this one so much more than I anticipated, and appreciated the light touch of dark humour that is woven throughout this story, as well as the themes of power and money in politics, as well as friendship, abandonment and, most of all, the power of love.

Pub Date: 29 Oct 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by HarperCollins Publishers / Ecco ...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Paige rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, humor, science-fiction

Told in first person, our main character and narrator Lillian travels to see her friend, Madison, who has a job offer for her. It isn't until after she accepts the job as governess to Madison's step-children that Madison tells her the kids burst into flames when they feel angry or frustrated.

The fire children do not make an appearance until 26% (on a Kindle). The first 1-7% is the foundation of Lillian and Madison's relationship. This includes how the met, their school-girl-days, and their ...more

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Jan 12, 2020 Karen rated it really liked it

10 yr old twins Bessie and Roland have some kind of medical problem that when they get angry or upset.. they spontaneously combust..yes, literally go up in
They were pushed out of their wealthy father’s ancestral mansion along with their mother when they were five years old because he found a new young and beautiful wife.
Now their mother has died and they have to return to their fathers estate and will be cared for by Lillian.. a longtime but distant friend of their stepmothers.
These two poor ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 Gabby rated it liked it

Shelves: own, liked-it, contemporary, adult, 3-star-books, botm, read-in-2019

This book is a really interesting story about this girl who becomes a nanny for these kids who catch on fire when they get upset. This premise is super unique and I’ve never read anything quite like it. I enjoyed this story and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just not particularly memorable for me. Here’s some thoughts I jotted down after finishing it:

-This book was interesting and sweet but kind of forgettable
-I love that the main character is so sarcastic and awkward, ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Dana rated it it was amazing

4.5 Don’t judge a book by its cover or what sounds like a totally ridiculous description - Trust your Goodreads friends!

Nothing to See Here is a quirky novel with a whole lot of heart! It is a sweet and funny story that is light, yet thought provoking with very intense emotions! Completely lovable!

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Nov 03, 2019 Anna Luce rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, favourite-characters, own, loved-it, surprisingly-good, my-feelings, poignant-reads, favourite-protagonists, 2019-reviews, favourite-relationships

4.5 stars

“I had the children. They caught on fire. I had to keep them from catching on fire.”

As soon as I read Kevin Wilson's dedication (“for Ann Patchett”) I had a feeling that I was in for a treat (and I was right).
There was something about Wilson's surrealism that reminded me a bit of Charlie Kaufman's films (in Synecdoche, New York a character moves into a house that is permanently on fire). Comparisons to Wes Anderson would also not be amiss (dysfunctional families + parental ...more

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Nov 12, 2019 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

The responsible adults in charge needed to come up with a plan.....
....the fire children’s mother died.
*Fire* children - you ask?
YEP!!!!

An ***AUDIOBOOK-FAVORITE***.....
read by the ‘outstanding’ Marin Ireland.

Marin Ireland, made this book come ‘alive’!!!!
The ranges in her voice sounded completely different for each character.
She was fantastic with the children’s voices.

The children, ( twins Bessie & Rolan), & Lillian ( unique governess), stole my heart.

Quirky and moving!!!

You’d ...more

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Nov 08, 2019 Betsy Robinson rated it really liked it

When I was an actress in my 20s, I took voice lessons with an old German man named Mr. Jacobi. I was a terrible singer, but it was okay. I wasn't learning to sing. I was learning to use my voice to its full potential. I knew this because one of Mr. Jacobi's favorite things to say after he sat down at the piano and leaned on the first chord was, "We accept here." That meant that no matter what sound I made, it was fine with both of us.

"We accept here." That could be the philosophy expressed by ...more

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Jan 13, 2020 Jenna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Nothing to see Here could win an Ugliest Cover Ever award but it's still a damn good story. It's witty and clever and fun and I'm glad I was able to put aside my aversion for the cover and read the book. Thanks to all my GR friends who wrote glowing reviews for it and convinced me to read it!

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Nov 22, 2019 Marchpane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-releases

The weirdest thing about Nothing to See Here is that, in a novel about spontaneous human combustion, not much happens. Once the wacky premise—fire children! 10-year-olds whose bad moods cause them to go up in literal flames!—has been set up, it isn’t fully exploited. If you’ve spent any time around tweens I’m sure you can think of many, many directions this idea could go, but Wilson seems content to just let the story coast.

These little incendiaries hang out in the pool, bond with their nanny ...more

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Jan 07, 2020 Carol (Bookaria) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, favorites, 2020, top-2020

I really loved this book. It's an engaging and touching novel. Lillian and Madison were roommates in boarding school but they have barely kept in touch since then. Years after, Lillian receives a letter from Madison asking her to become the caregiver of her step children who, by the way, go up in flames at unexpected times.

I thought the premise was a bit weird but once I started reading it absolutely works, the author even makes it believable. What a great and endearing story.

Highly recommend it ...more

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Dec 08, 2019 Ace rated it it was ok

Shelves: tob2020-longlist, tob2020-shortlist

An interesting premise, but I did not enjoy the writing or characterisation at all. I was curious enough to see where it would go, but at the end I am feeling like there was really nothing to see here.

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Dec 15, 2019 Victoria rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Where there’s smoke there’s very likely two diminutive fireballs.

Weird, whacky and wonderful! This is about so much more than combustible kids, but to tell you too much would ruin the story that lies within. Imagine that the most unlikely nanny, Maria Von Trapp with a dark side, is charged with taking care of two damaged children ready to ignite at the first sign of emotional stress, throw in political aspirations, untold wealth and you have an unusual story told in the most touching way.

I ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Lark Benobi rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-i-ve-read-at-least-twice, male-identified-authors, 2019

\(_o)/

Some of you who follow me on GR know that I'm a writer, and a smaller subset of you know that I'm currently looking for an agent for a new novel I've written.

A rejection that I received recently from an agent had this sentence in it: "I just could not make myself believe it." This really puzzled me, as feedback goes, because my new novel is about a woman who unexpectedly gives birth to an owl. In other words, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief.

But after reading Nothing to See ...more

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Oct 01, 2019 Book of the Month added it

Why I love it
by Sarah Dickinson

I usually like my fiction firmly rooted in reality, so I was nervous about a book featuring children who catch fire when distressed. However, I’m a mother, so I appreciate this metaphor. What parent hasn’t witnessed an epic tantrum where your child starts to resemble the girl from The Exorcist?

Years ago, Lillian, a scholarship kid, and Madison, an heiress, became friends at their Tennessee boarding school. Fast forward to the present day, we find Lillian toiling in ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Barbara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction, domestic-fiction, audio

I’m on a great roll with my audible selections! Listening to “Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson, narrated by Marin Ireland was 6 hours and 40 minutes of total joy. Marin Ireland captured the essence of the novel’s narrator, Lillian. In a pitch perfect southern accent full of ennui, Ms. Ireland encapsulates Lillian’s apathy towards life. Ireland also does a fantastic job of giving voice to the other characters.

When the story opens, Lillian has been contacted by her freshman high school I’m on a great roll with my audible selections! Listening to “Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson, narrated by Marin Ireland was 6 hours and 40 minutes of total joy. Marin Ireland captured the essence of the novel’s narrator, Lillian. In a pitch perfect southern accent full of ennui, Ms. Ireland encapsulates Lillian’s apathy towards life. Ireland also does a fantastic job of giving voice to the other characters.

When the story opens, Lillian has been contacted by her freshman high school roommate, Madison. As Lillian explains, she got lucky and became a scholarship girl at an exclusive boarding school. Lillian was kicked out when she took a fall for wealthy and socially connected Madison, which solidified Lillian’s opinion that life is bleak for girls like her. Nonetheless, Madison and Lillian remained pen pals, so Lillian knew a bit about Madison and as expected, Madison’s perfect future and life.

Long story short, Madison is married to a man who expects to become a high-ranking political official. She wants Lillian to help with his twin children from a previous marriage. Lillian’s inner musings are hysterical. And Lillian and Madison’s friendship are complicated, funny, and true. I find it amazing that author Kevin Wilson can write the complicated details of female friendship.

And the twins, well, Wilson took temper tantrums to a new level. Yes, the twins spontaneously combust when they are irritated, tired, frustrated, hungry…. etc. All parents know of the scary temper tantrums that all children endue, some more dramatic than others. Wilson gives a physical voice to these tantrums that make it funny. Lillian, who is a self-appointed slacker, not caring about anything or anyone becomes entranced with the twins. Being a neglected and forgotten child (and adult) herself, she connects with the children and finds herself, for the first time ever, actually caring about something.

All the characters in the story are fun. This is a laugh-out-loud story that will have you watching temper tantrums in a new light. Plus, it’s an enduring story of misfits finding their way. Again, I highly recommend the audio on this. Ireland is perfect!!!
...more

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May 01, 2019 Jessica Woodbury rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, best-2019-arcs

Full disclosure: I have not read any Kevin Wilson books before. They looked kind of like the book versions of Wes Anderson movies, rather pretentious and twee. I have no idea if that is a fair assessment, it is just how they struck me. But the hook of this book got my attention and I thought it would be a good one to dip my toes into. Then I was really shocked by how quickly this book burrowed its way into my heart.

I have had a run of insomnia lately, so I mostly read this book in the middle of Full disclosure: I have not read any Kevin Wilson books before. They looked kind of like the book versions of Wes Anderson movies, rather pretentious and twee. I have no idea if that is a fair assessment, it is just how they struck me. But the hook of this book got my attention and I thought it would be a good one to dip my toes into. Then I was really shocked by how quickly this book burrowed its way into my heart.

I have had a run of insomnia lately, so I mostly read this book in the middle of the night, waiting to get tired enough to fall back asleep. Not ideal conditions, usually I need something a little thrilling to hold my attention. But this book grabbed it pretty quickly with the story of Madison and Lillian, and the kind of friendship that is both meaningful and hurtful. It's an unusual relationship, but it has the spiky complexity so many female friendships do and I was immediately interested.

Lillian is one of those protagonists you find in literary fiction. She is aimless and stagnant, almost unformed as a person, but she differs from most because she's lower class. That's also how she differs from Madison, who is one of those People With Money who somehow manages to get everything she wants. Lillian's weirdness is unchecked in her going-nowhere life while Madison constantly has to hide hers while she puts on a public face and serves her ambitions. Lillian is a treasured secret, the kind of friend Madison is not really allowed to have, so it isn't surprising that Madison asks Lillian for help and offers a financial incentive when Madison has some unusual work that needs to be done quietly.

Enter Madison's two step-children who, just FYI, can burst into flames. The surreal touches are executed really well. We are not hit over the head with how this unusual ability is a metaphor for kids with disabilities or mental illness (though you can clearly make the case), but it shows us just how potentially destructive the two unusual children may be for Madison and her Senator husband. Lillian takes on the job of nanny-slash-governess-slash-whatever mostly because of her loyalty and affection for Madison. What follows is not exactly unexpected. It isn't like the "person without children is forced to care for children and learns about love" plot isn't one that hasn't been played out a million times before. And yet! I can't remember the last time I saw it done well and here it's done so beautifully.

It helps that these kids are written so well. It is tricky to write kids and it's tricky to write about caring for kids, so much of it is mundane and difficult to pin down. Many kids in novels are just tiny adults, others are only there as props and don't actually act like children. But these kids thread the needle. They do what is needed to move the plot forward, but they never feel like plot mechanisms. They feel like strange little monsters that you kind of want to hug. Eventually these practically-feral hooligans with bowl cuts become incredibly dear to the reader and to Lillian and you may find yourself crying in your bed at 5 a.m. if you are not careful.

It all took me quite by surprise, to be honest. It seemed like a weird novel but it did not warn me that it was going to get all in my feelings the way that it did. The bigger plot has its humorous moments, but they feel like they are coming from a different world. I wouldn't call it funny exactly, while there's plenty of dark humor, it's also mostly there around these two children who may be rather terrifying but who are still just children. None of it made me laugh out loud, but it gives everything outside of the little world Lillian builds with them a rather heightened air, making the cozy unit they form feel even more warm and inviting in contrast. It's a real tightrope walk but it rarely wobbles as long as it keeps its heart on its sleeve. ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Marialyce rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, jan-mar, books-of-2019

“Because I kept fucking up, because it seemed so hard to not fuck up, I lived a life where I had less than what I desired. So instead of wanting more, sometimes I just made myself want even less. Sometimes I made myself believe that I wanted nothing.”

Yep, get use to it. There is a lot of dropping the f bomb in this story and for awhile I, too, was going to drop this story right into my dnf file. But, then thanks to the encouragement of my great book pal, Jan, I continued and was glad that I “Because I kept fucking up, because it seemed so hard to not fuck up, I lived a life where I had less than what I desired. So instead of wanting more, sometimes I just made myself want even less. Sometimes I made myself believe that I wanted nothing.”

Yep, get use to it. There is a lot of dropping the f bomb in this story and for awhile I, too, was going to drop this story right into my dnf file. But, then thanks to the encouragement of my great book pal, Jan, I continued and was glad that I did.

Is this book different. Decidedly yes.
Is this book quirky ? Another affirmative
Did I come to feel for the characters? (well most of them) Yes again!

Perhaps we often feel as parents that we are defined by the antics of our children. We want them to always put their best foot forward for is that not the way we are seen as terrific parents raising children who are seemingly perfect? So what happens when your children burst into flames when life gets too much for them? How embarrassing, how bizarre, how the heck do I hide these kids?

Well for Madison, a soon to be wife of the Secretary of State, it means calling upon her best friend, Lilian, to come to the rescue, for you see Madison's fiery stepchildren must come to live with she and her powerful husband, after their real mother dies. Quick as a wink Madison has a plan. Let me call my bff Lilian. It's a bit cheeky really for Madison hasn't seen or spoken to Lilian in quite some time.

Lilian is a poor soul, so mired in her own inadequacies, that she jumps at the chance to be a caretaker (governess seems too posh for her title) and take on the role of dealing with the children. These poor ten year old twins, have been sequestered away with their mother but now burst upon the scene causing what one can suspect a lot of havoc not only to things in their vicinity, but also to the very public life of Madison.

The children are hidden away in the guest cottage along with Lilian and together they get to know and understand one another. Along the way, Lilian comes to recognize her place in life and that it is next to these very unusual but very loving children.

This book was a great look into the fact that children and all their foibles need to be treated with love and respect. They can't be hidden away, to be shown only when they are needed. It is a commentary on the wealthy and how often their children are enclosed within the confines of a boarding school, never really becoming a part and parcel of their rich influential parents lives. It is also a tale of the ways of friendship and how far those ties will bind one friend to friend.

Recommended for those who enjoy a witty look at the way others conduct their lives.
Again looking to depart from our comfort zone, Jan and I decided to take up with this quirky story. For us it was in the beginning a slow go, but then it took off in a direction that we had not anticipated and wound up being quite a fine story.
For our duo reviews: http://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpress... ...more

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Jan 09, 2020 Kathleen rated it it was amazing

Have you ever seen a child throw a full-on temper tantrum? Pretty unnerving, isn’t it? Now what if that child’s tantrum/anxiety could start a fire? And what if the child’s parents were wealthy and had lofty political aspirations? That would be awkward!

Wilson takes this premise and multiplies it by two—two children with this ability—twins. Madison Billings Roberts has decided to call on an old friend from her days at the Iron Mountain Girls Preparatory School for help when the ten-year-old twins’ ...more

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Nov 08, 2019 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: liburrrrrry-book, like-this-or-we-cant-be-friends, adorkable, loveable-losers, smilings-my-favorite, you-had-me-at-hello, book-of-the-month-selection, read-in-2019

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

I really enjoyed The Family Fang this year, so when I heard that Kevin Wilson had a new release coming out I made sure to put my name on the library hold list well before pub day to guarantee I’d be at the top of the heap. Now that I’ve finished I have this to say . . . . .

Lillian has a history of bailing Madison out of a jam, so she’s exactly the person who gets called when Madison’s twin stepchildren are in need of a “governess.” ...more

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Feb 05, 2020 Amy Imogene Reads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-fiction, favorites, read-in-2020, speculative

5 flaming stars

You know how sometimes you'll look at a book and go, wow, that looks different. So you pick it up. And then your entire world flips on its axis. You have a new favorite, weird little book.

Concept:
Writing:
Characters:

Nothing to See Here has such a unique premise. These two twins, age 10, spontaneously catch on fire when they're upset. This brings a whole new dimension to the phrase temper tantrum, doesn't it?

But it's not a simple as two kids with temper issues—there are also ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Diane Barnes rated it really liked it

Well, well, well. What a weird little book. I say that in the most loving way, because sometimes I need weird and different to offset other types of books. This one had me from the very first page because Lillian, our narrator was, in any sense of the word, a loser of epic proportions. Living in her mother's attic, smoking weed, working part time at the sav-a-lot. Loser. But funny, which is always a saving grace. She agrees to help out a school friend who has two stepchildren, 10 year old twins, ...more

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Tournament of Books: Nothing To See Here	25	201	Feb 06, 2020 06:35AM
Play Book Tag: Nothing to See Here - Kevin Wilson 5/5	13	36	Jan 12, 2020 01:58PM
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About Kevin Wilson

Kevin Wilson

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Kevin Wilson was born, raised, and still lives in Tennessee. His writing has appeared in Ploughshares, One Story, Greensboro Review, The Oxford American, Carolina Quarterly and elsewhere. His work has twice been included in the New Stories from the South: The Year’s Best anthology (2005, 2006). He has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the KHN Center for the Arts. A ...more