Book Review: "Nothing to See Here" by Kevin Wilson
“Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson
Synopsis: 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?
Rating (out of 5): 4.25
Trigger Warnings: spontaneous combustion, drug use, loads of cursing
Review: Kevin Wilson is one of my favorite authors (and fun fact: he is an English professor at my alma mater). I knew he was coming out with a new book, and so you know I was pleased when I saw it pop up in October’s Book of the Month Club selections, you know I added it to my box. One of the things that he does incredibly well is take a common situation — like a stepmom having to take in children from her husband’s first marriage — and turn it on its head — by having those children spontaneously burst into flame on occasion. No, I’m not at all kidding. That’s the central conceit of this book, and woooo is it lit (I’m sorry, I can’t resist the puns sometimes).
At the center of our book is Lillian, an overachiever who has lost her way — she was from a poor town and a poor household in rural Tennessee, but she used her prodigious intellect to get a scholarship to a snooty all-girls school. There, she met her roommate Madison, a wealthy heiress from Atlanta; the girls quickly became super close. That is, until Madison almost gets kicked out of school for getting caught with drugs and Madison’s dad bought off Lillian’s mom with cash to get Lillian to cop to it. From that point, they haven’t seen each other until Madison needs Lillian help — as “governess” to the fiery stepchildren, Bessie and Roland. This is all complicated by the fact that Madison’s (much older) (quite wealthy) husband is on the short list to become Secretary of State, so the firebrands need to stay secret and under control. That means that Lillian, Roland, and Bessie are secluded on Madison’s estate outside of Nashville; the only goal seems to be to keep the kids calm.
Admittedly, I am not a parent, but I started babysitting at a young age and I was a camp counselor for many summers, so I do understand that kids can go from fine to WHOA WHOA WHOA EVERYTHING IS NOT OKAY very quickly; Bessie and Roland bursting into flames just seems like a natural extension of a really big tantrum. Once you accept that this central conceit could possibly be true, the story really becomes about how those who haven’t found their place can find their people in unexpected places. It’s beautifully written — with some incredibly dark moments — and ultimately pretty optimistic.
There was also some pretty harsh social commentary on the blithe unawareness of a certain subset of the population (cough cough rich people) on what it takes to be a good parent. Madison believes she can buy her way out of of her problem stepchildren — she creates a separate home for them, she feeds and clothes them, and she provides a nanny. However, she doesn’t make any effort to get to know them or understand them. In fact, it isn’t until this affliction directly impacts her child that she understands what Lillian has been trying to show her all along: Bessie and Roland are real people with real feelings, and their tendency to burst into flame can be understood and controlled, so long as you put in the effort.
It was also an interesting examination of female friendship, both platonic and not. I don’t think I’m speaking only for myself when I say we all have a friend that is more magnetic than the average bear — that friend that you can’t help but fall a little bit in love with (sexuality is a spectrum, people!). The power dynamics at play between Madison and Lillian read like a psychological study of toxic friendship and power relationships, which made it all the more interesting to me. It’s hard to write this without spoiling anything, but there’s a moment toward the end of the book that illuminates their dynamic that made everything made a little bit more sense.
I really enjoyed this book. I have a soft spot for stories of outsiders finding their space, and seeing the family unit created by Lillian, Bessie, and Roland warmed my cold heart quite a bit. Not only that, this book was laugh out loud at times — subversively humorous and snarky, which is what I aspire to in my day-to-day interactions with other people.
TL;DR: An ode to some incredible outcasts — darkly funny, thought provoking, and surprisingly sentimental.
If you liked this, try these:
"Perfect Little World” also by Kevin Wilson (this was one of my top books of 2018, tbh)
