Nothing to See Here: A Read with Jenna Pick

I can see why this book got so much buzz when it came out. What a great story. It begins with an unbelievable situation about children that catch on fire, and ends in a heartwarming way where these children find a home with someone who loves them. The audio version is wonderful and something about the accent of the narrator seemed to fit the character perfectly.

Laughed more than I thought I was going to–Lillian's voice and Wilson's writing were really great, especially in small parts in otherwise neutral descriptions or corners of the writing. Speaking of, wow, I wanted to throttle Lillian in the beginning and then was rooting for her by the end. The “I was fucked over and I'm not going to let that happen to these snots” journey won me over in a major way.

And good on Wilson–I didn't think he would actually bring the unrequited/unresolved romantic tension with Lillian and Madison anywhere. Of course it doesn't, like, HEA or anything, but at least giving it air made me cheer in a wretched gay way, lmao.

Thought a lot about lies and stories we can tell ourselves for decades after this one. Hmm!

This novel is a quirky dramedy about twin children—with the unusual ability to catch on fire—and their relationship with a down-on-her-luck woman hired as a nanny to take care of them, away from the spotlight of their politically ambitious father and stepmother. The nanny and stepmother, Lillian and Madison respectively, were friends at a prestigious private high school before Madison's father paid Lillian's mother to have Lillian take the fall for Madison's drug bust. Fifteen years later, Madison calls Lillian out of the blue with a lucrative job offer to be the “governess” of her unusual step-children, Bessy and Roland, and keep them secluded as their father is up for position of Secretary of State. Lillian has no experience watching kids (including ones with unusual, supernatural powers), but she takes the job anyway as she has nothing better going on. I listened to the audiobook edition narrated by Marin Ireland.

I looked forward to listening to this novel as it is categorized as Humorous Literary Fiction, one of my favorite book categories. Being a comic book fan as well, the whacky premise was personally enticing. Were these kids mutants like in the X-Men comic books? The publisher describes the novel as “moving and uproarious” and, although at times humorous, this novel leans more toward moving than laugh out loud funny. Once Lillian gets acquainted with the twins and instills a sense of trust in them, their unusual ability to burst aflame is disregarded for a very long stretch in the middle of the novel, mostly focusing on the growing relationship between the abandoned children and the lowly Lillian, the three finding they are kindred spirits of the overlooked kind. Lillian is a keen observer and her first-person narration is endearing, sometimes funny, insightful, and, also at times, self-deprecating. And although I enjoyed the long stretch of relationship building between her and the twins, it seemed there was a missed opportunity for many more humorous situations involving the kids' fire ability; there just wasn't enough of that. But, this long middle stretch was a very, very successful setup for a laugh-out-loud plot twist that I didn't see coming at all and made me burst out with laughter and surprise. It was a genuinely hilarious plot twist, for sure, as well as a very satisfying one.

I'd like to say that the narrator, Marin Ireland, did a fantastic job of narrating most of the characters and her lilting, Southern accent for some of them was exceptional and imaginative. You may know Marin Ireland from TV shows like The Umbrella Academy or Sneaky Pete, but she is an accomplished narrator in her own right.

As a parent, I related to the relationship Lillian built with the twins and, even though they are initially portrayed as freaks, the three of them are just like the rest of us: unique and hungry for love. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this novel 5 stars.

Update 5/8/2024:
I read the paperback this time and I enjoyed it more than listening to the audiobook. 5 stars!