Book Club Reading Guide: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Some questions to facilitate your book club discussion!
No, we’re not announcing a book club. BUT we did used to have one for our paid subscribers back in the day. And we figured that, if you’re like us, when you’re reading a book for book club, sometimes you can get stuck on the analysis part. Maybe you’re not sure what to take away from it or what questions and insights you can bring the the discussion. So, we’re here to help, and we plan to publish some of these book club guides periodically. And maybe we can even inspire your next book club pick.
Keep reading to check out the reading guide for Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, a book that Sarah and Mia both loved.
About the Book:
Magical Realism
288 pages
Published October 2019
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 step-kids 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.
About the Author:
Kevin Wilson is the author of two collections, Tunneling to the Center of the Earth (Ecco/Harper Perennial, 2009), which received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Shirley Jackson Award, and Baby You’re Gonna Be Mine (Ecco, 2018), and three novels, The Family Fang (Ecco, 2011), Perfect Little World (Ecco, 2017) and Nothing to See Here (Ecco, 2019), a New York Times bestseller and a Read with Jenna book club selection, and Now is Not the Time to Panic (Ecco, 2022).
His fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, Southern Review, One Story, A Public Space, and elsewhere, and has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2020 and 2021, as well as The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2012. He has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the KHN Center for the Arts.
He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife, the poet Leigh Anne Couch, and his sons, Griff and Patch, where he is an Associate Professor in the English Department at the University of the South.
Notable Book Quotes:
“A lot of times when I think I’m being self-sufficient, I’m really just learning to live without the things that I need.”
“You took care of people by not letting them know how badly you wanted your life to be different.”
“Maybe raising children was just giving them the things you loved most in the world and hoping that they loved them too.”
“People don't care about anyone but themselves. They don't notice anything. They are never looking at what's interesting. They're always looking at themselves.”
“If you were rich, and you were a dude, it really felt like if you just followed a certain number of steps, you could do pretty much whatever you wanted.”
“I’m not joking when I say that I never liked people, because people scared me. Because anytime I said what was inside me, they had no idea what I was talking about. They made me want to smash a window just to have a reason to walk away from them.”
Discussion Questions:
What would you do if a child you were babysitting burst into flames but was unharmed?
Do you think the spontaneous combustion the twins experience is a metaphor for something bigger?
Class dynamics play a big role in this book. Do you think money buys happiness?
What do you think about Lillian and Madison’s friendship?
How does caring for the twins change Lillian?
Related Book Titles You Might Enjoy:
The World According to Garp by John Irving
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
Man-Eaters by Chelsea Cain and Kate Niemczyk
Firestarter by Stephen King
Additional Resources to Dive Deeper:
Arts Midwest: Author Kevin Wilson on “Nothing to See Here” (Video)
NPR: For Author Kevin Wilson, Writing Offers A Brief Reprieve From Tourette's
The Humanity of Being Freakish: The Millions Interviews Kevin Wilson
Chicago Review of Books: The Family We Choose (“Nothing to See Here” book review)
Time: How I Stopped Believing Anxiety Would Make Me a Bad Father by Kevin Wilson
The First Time Podcast - Masters Series: Kevin Wilson
We hope you enjoyed this reading guide for Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. Let us know what you think and if your book club decides to read this book, come share in the comments. Happy reading!
This is one of my faves. My book club loved it as well! I wish I had this back then.