So, we're getting real close to the end of the year! 8 weeks, and 10 more books to go! Crazy, right? This year went by so quickly! But I suppose that'll happen when you've got your nose stuck in a book for the majority of it!
If you need a refresher on why I'm doing a weekly book review, check it out here!
So, here comes my 42 book review: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson!
Nothing to See Here begins when Jillian is asked to come visit her friend, Madison. Madison and Jillian were roommates at a prestigious girl's school until Madison got caught with drugs. Madison's rich father pays off Jillian's mother to have Jillian take the fall. Jillian is unable to get over it, and never achieves much in her life. She and Madison send the occasional letter, but don't see one another.
Madison, now the wife of a prominent Senator, needs Jillian to watch the children from her husband's first marriage.
But his twins are a little bit different; whenever they get upset, they burst into flames.
Madison and her husband need to keep the twin's, Bessie and Roland's, condition a secret.
Jillian and the twins soon settle into a surprising routine. She attempts to keep them calm, with yoga and deep breathing, while keeping them out of the way of the rest of the family. Jillian soon realizes she has a deep connection with the twins. She soon starts teaching them regular lessons to get them ready for the day they will start to go to regular school.
Soon, the Senator is called upon to serve as Secretary of State. Him, Madison, and their son travel to Washington, D.C., leaving the twins behind.
During the Senator's speech, his son with Madison also bursts into flame on live TV.
Madison puts out a story about his overly-starched shirt catching fire, and the media believes it, but the Senator/ Secretary worries about his kids. He plans to send all three kids away for medical testing. When the twins here, the burst into flames, and begin to burn down the mansion. Jillian grabs the twins and they run away. They hide in Jillian's childhood home, until Madison calls and asks Jillian if she would like to be the twins' legal guardian. Jillian accepts, and finally feels like she's accomplishing something.
I picked up Nothing to See Here because the premise of spontaneously combusting children sounded hysterical. And it was! Nothing to See Here was hysterically funny, delightfully satirical, and profoundly poignant. It was the perfect blend of humor and seriousness. The plot was wholly original and was a delight to read. Wilson created the perfect mix of emotions in this novel.
I didn't think the setting played any special role in this novel. It was just a big empty house, or a flame-proof house away from the mansion for the twins and Jillian. When the twins burn the mansion down, it was wonderfully triumphant. But, it ultimately didn't add much to the novel for me.
I also did not love Wilson's style. He writes very plainly, which is not my favorite. I wish there had been a little bit more flair, or dramatic descriptions. I do think he was able to infuse a ton of humor into his style, but I just felt that the overall novel was missing a little something without some thought provoking sentences.
Overall, I give Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson a 3 out of 5. While the plot was original, and the laughs were good, I just felt like it was missing something.