Et cetera : What We're Reading: Books by Kevin Wilson

I recently read two books by Kevin Wilson, and he really surprised me as an author. With 'Nothing To See Here,' I anticipated a quirky and colorful appetizer of a book. It ended up being so interesting, so unique, and so satisfying that I lingered and savored it as a main course. He starts out with an unbelievably bizarre premise: a young woman without any better alternatives agrees to babysit for siblings that are known to spontaneously catch on fire. From there, the story reveals itself as the young woman's path to belonging.

His latest, 'Run For The Hills,' proved similarly interesting. A young man loses his mother, is estranged from his father, and begins a road trip to meet up with his three younger half-siblings. The catch is that he just recently learned they exist, and they don't know he's coming. It's a story of found family in the truest sense of the phrase. It reminds me of 'People Person' by Candice Carty-Williams. 'Run For The Hills' is a very different book stylistically but touches on similar themes.

Wilson begins both novels with unique concepts and follows them through to a plausible conclusion. As a reader I genuinely enjoyed being along for the ride.

'Nothing To See Here' currently has 3.96/5 on goodreads.com, and 'Run For The Hills' has 3.93/5.

Happy reading,

Kelly Henkle, Library Director