Nothing to See Here: A Novel

I loved this book. I wouldn’t have found it without a recommendation from The Atlantic, which recently featured a segment on “The Great American Novels.” I remember thinking that the premise was absurd, but hey, if the story is good and the characters are interesting, who cares?Of course, Nothing to See Here is more than a story about spontaneously combustible kids. It’s about true love in its various forms, classism, and quirky characters that we can all identify with in some way. And so much more.I read it over a single day because I couldn’t put it down. For me, that’s rare, even for a book this size. Kevin’s writing style grabbed me from page one. So many reviewers have mentioned the sentences and phrases that stand out; one of the professional reviews noted that Nothing to See Here has “mesmerizing and funny sentences and then hits you in a way you didn’t see coming.”I disagree with another earlier reviewer who complained about profanity. I’ve seen a lot more and a lot worse. For me, it wasn’t gratuitous, but rather a natural expression of how some people think and talk. It seemed especially fitting for the narrator or even the children when trying to impress the adults.Some might disagree with me here, but I kept hearing Holden Caulfield’s voice. While Lil isn’t a teen anymore, she seems stuck in her development at a young age, so her disaffected and snarky attitude seemed to fit the Catcher in the Rye hero to a T. I’m inspired to pick up the old classic and give it another turn.So much fun! I can’t wait to read more from Kevin Wilson.

Well written, engaging and exciting. Just a touch of the supernatural. Easy reading with a developed main character and narrative voice. Looking forward to more from this author.

Interesting premise. Kids that spontaneously combust. Parents that don’t want to deal with them. The back story of the two adult women charged with their care. It was odd and there wasn’t a conclusion. I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends.

I have never read anything like this and I was deeply touched by it. Worth a read. Author has a very unique voice.

This is a quick read, but that doesn’t make it less important or less good for the reading. It’s a story of the haves and the have nots, and the weirdness we all possess… some of us more acceptably weird than others. It’s about chosen family and do overs and second chances.

Unbelievable story about children catching fire but sweet and touching story about love & friendship at the same time. Quick read. Great characters.

It’s about love and loving the people in your life the right way .Doing the right thing no matter what .

This was the first Kevin Wilson book that I read, on the recommendation of a friend. I didn’t have high hopes for it, because the premise sounded kind of silly, but sometimes silly can be fun, so I went ahead and dug in.I could tell from the beginning that this wasn’t exactly going to be what I had expected. The initial relationship between two characters was presented in a wonderful and emotional way. So, by the time we got to the burning children, I was already very invested. And even the burning children were presented in a much more deep and beautiful and heartbreaking way. The silliness of their flammability ended up, not being so very silly at all, and was an excellent metaphor.Later, when I read his first book, I realized that this is one of a few stories that were first introduced in a different form in that book (Family Fang). I’m kind of glad that I came upon this novel first. In many ways, it’s a great introduction to his work. He is definitely an interesting author and he always gives you more than you think you’re going to get.

Una historia sin pies ni cabeza, no sé ni como lo pude terminar.

Couldn't put it down, read in 2 sittings! Really good story, witty writing, loved it

This is a great story. Interesting premise and Great characters. The power of being acknowledged loved and safe . Children and adults alike , we all just want to be loved to tame the burst of flames inside us. It is fun, quirky, and easy to read. I loved it.

Have you heard of children who combust into flames when their emotions boil over? US Senator Jasper's and his wife Madison's children do. And to keep it all hush-hush, Madison invites her roommate, Lilian, from her posh private school days to come work as the children's nanny for the summer. Lilian, who leads a financially and emotionally empty life, sees it as an opportunity to push her life in a positive direction.But caring for neglected and scarred 'fire' children is not going to be easy. It is going to make Lilian, see a little bit of herself in them, stop being pushed around and take a stand, for once in her life, and make her desperate to succeed at this.It'll strip bare the layers of Madison and Lilian's relationship to reveal how, when it comes to people we love, we don't see things and people as binary (either good or bad, in black or white, either wrong or right).

Gosto mais da capa (e do conceito do que do romance em si. Um par de gêmeos de 10 anos entra em combustão espontânea toda vez que eles ficam irritados, nervosos ou ansiosos. Nada acontece com eles, ficam apenas vermelhos por alguns minutos, mas o fogo incendeia como qualquer outro. A narradora do romance é a amiga da madrasta deles que é contratada para cuidar do menino e da menina depois que a mãe morre. Narrado por essa mulher sem qualquer rumo na vida, o romance talvez seja uma sátira política (o pai da criança é um senador aspirante à presidência) e certamente social – a diferença de classe entre a protagonista e a amiga da família é uma questão aqui. Mas o autor, Kevin Wilson está muito interessado em ser engraçado em tempo integral, e seu humor não é lá muito engraçado porque é forçado como quase tudo aqui.A parte mais fácil de acreditar, mais bem construída é fantástica, das crianças pegando fogo. O que há de realista é um tanto superficial, especialmente as personagens – nenhuma tem muita profundidade, são mais estereótipos –, e a trama previsível não ajuda muito – é possível perceber onde vai chegar logo no começo (geralmente, isso não é um problema para mim, o que importa é “como se conta”, e não “o que se conta”, mas aqui nenhum dos dois são muito apurados). É um livro divertido, uma leitura rápida e pueril que, inevitavelmente, deverá virar um filme com aspirações a Oscars e afins.