Book Review: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
By Francesca Rompal, MA
Cover design by Allison Saltzman; Art by Christian Northeast; Image courtesy of Ecco Press
Review:
Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here surprised me in the way the best reads do: with quiet weirdness, emotional precision, and an undeniable sense of heart. I went into it knowing only the basic hook — children who spontaneously combust — and came out with a story that’s less about spectacle and more about care, odd kinship, and what it means to try to love people well, even when you’ve been discarded yourself.
Told through the eyes of Lillian, a woman on the margins of her own life, the book becomes a darkly hilarious meditation on class, friendship, resentment, and unlikely second chances. Her voice is sharp, often cutting, but always alive. There’s no cloying sentimentality here — instead, there’s mess, heat, and deep recognition of how imperfect caretaking can still be transformative. I found myself relating to the book’s insistence that some of us are drawn toward the fire not in spite of the danger, but because we’ve lived long enough to know it already lives in us.
It’s a short read (or listen) that lingers. The writing is crisp in Wilson’s classic style, never overwrought, and the story walks a strange line between magical realism and gritty emotional truth. Nothing to See Here isn’t a showy book, but it’s full of guts and unexpectedly, grace.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
Smart, strange, and deeply human — one of those books I’ll recommend to anyone who says they like stories about the chaos of daily life, family ties, or emotional honesty with a twist.
Available now on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-See-Here-Kevin-Wilson/dp/0062913468
If you liked this, you might also enjoy:
Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Lucky Us by Amy Bloom
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
