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Now Is Not the Time to Panic
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fiction (2022)From the New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here comes an exuberant, bighearted novel about two teenage misfits who spectacularly collide one fateful summer, and the art they make that changes their lives forever.
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge—aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner—is determined to make it through yet another sad summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s unhappy house and who is as lonely and awkward as Frankie is. Romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, and when the two jointly make an unsigned poster, shot through with an enigmatic phrase, it becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it. The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.
The posters begin appearing everywhere, and people wonder who is behind them. Satanists, kidnappers—the rumors won’t stop, and soon the mystery has dangerous repercussions that spread far beyond the town. The art that brought Frankie and Zeke together now threatens to tear them apart.
Twenty years later, Frances Eleanor Budge—famous author, mom to a wonderful daughter, wife to a loving husband—gets a call that threatens to upend everything: a journalist named Mazzy Brower is writing a story about the Coalfield Panic of 1996. Might Frances know something about that? And will what she knows destroy the life she’s so carefully built?
A bold coming-of-age story, written with Kevin Wilson’s trademark wit and blazing prose, Now Is Not The Time to Panic is a nuanced exploration of young love, identity, and the power of art. It’s also about the secrets that haunt us—and, ultimately, what the truth will set free.
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge—aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner—is determined to make it through yet another sad summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s unhappy house and who is as lonely and awkward as Frankie is. Romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, and when the two jointly make an unsigned poster, shot through with an enigmatic phrase, it becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it. The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.
The posters begin appearing everywhere, and people wonder who is behind them. Satanists, kidnappers—the rumors won’t stop, and soon the mystery has dangerous repercussions that spread far beyond the town. The art that brought Frankie and Zeke together now threatens to tear them apart.
Twenty years later, Frances Eleanor Budge—famous author, mom to a wonderful daughter, wife to a loving husband—gets a call that threatens to upend everything: a journalist named Mazzy Brower is writing a story about the Coalfield Panic of 1996. Might Frances know something about that? And will what she knows destroy the life she’s so carefully built?
A bold coming-of-age story, written with Kevin Wilson’s trademark wit and blazing prose, Now Is Not The Time to Panic is a nuanced exploration of young love, identity, and the power of art. It’s also about the secrets that haunt us—and, ultimately, what the truth will set free.
246 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2022
About the author
Kevin Wilson
18 books3,591 followersKevin 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.
His new novel, Now is Not the Time to Panic, will be published by Ecco in November of 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.
His new novel, Now is Not the Time to Panic, will be published by Ecco in November of 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,519 reviews
April 23, 2023
I loved this book! I loved more than Nothing to see here and Family Fang!
It’s liberating, artsy, rebellious, powerful, sad, genuine, realistic, complex! I’m also Gen-Z! I know how hard to find your place in the world when only thing you want is becoming visible to the others without pretending or acting like somebody else!
Two sixteen years old teenagers hold each other with their differences, unique aspects to the world, shared hates for their own dads, their sadness, resentments, extraordinary abilities.
Frankie Budge, living with her mom and her triplet cavemen brothers who are responsible of any kind of misdemeanors happen in town, abandoned by their dad to another woman. The town they live Coalfield/ Tennessee might be the most boring, eventless, random place the outsiders ignore to stop by.
Frankie’s whole life changes when a young, nerdy, artsy boy Zeke moves from Memphis with her violin prodigy mom after his dad’s cheating. They are both outsiders, loners. When Zeke asks her to spend the summer by creating art, it seems like an innocent offer.
Frankie decides to use Xerox copy machine that her brothers stole, which left broken at their garage. Zeke fixes the machine and a few tries later they start creating their own posters: they even add a few drops of their own blood and suddenly those epic words appear on Frankie’s mind: “The edge is shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.”
After they finish, they start making copies, posting them around the town. But they have no idea their innocent art concept will turn into something liberating, explosive, rebellious! Some people thing Satan worshippers wrote those words as some people think this is bunch of vagabonds’ criminal act against the law. But most the of townies became inspired and entire town get covered with those posters till some unexpected events change everything, things escalated and become more chaotic!
2 decades later Frankie becomes Frances Eleanor Budge, a famous children books author, mother of a little girl, happily married with a dentist, getting a call from a New Yorker reporter Mazzy Brower. The woman finds her true identity and her involvement with Coalfield Panic of 1996! Can you Frankie lie and get away from her past or is she brave enough bring out dirt which means she has to confront with the people who never knew what she’s done and what she’s responsible of!
I read it in one sitting! Definitely a must read!
Highly recommended!
So many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
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It’s liberating, artsy, rebellious, powerful, sad, genuine, realistic, complex! I’m also Gen-Z! I know how hard to find your place in the world when only thing you want is becoming visible to the others without pretending or acting like somebody else!
Two sixteen years old teenagers hold each other with their differences, unique aspects to the world, shared hates for their own dads, their sadness, resentments, extraordinary abilities.
Frankie Budge, living with her mom and her triplet cavemen brothers who are responsible of any kind of misdemeanors happen in town, abandoned by their dad to another woman. The town they live Coalfield/ Tennessee might be the most boring, eventless, random place the outsiders ignore to stop by.
Frankie’s whole life changes when a young, nerdy, artsy boy Zeke moves from Memphis with her violin prodigy mom after his dad’s cheating. They are both outsiders, loners. When Zeke asks her to spend the summer by creating art, it seems like an innocent offer.
Frankie decides to use Xerox copy machine that her brothers stole, which left broken at their garage. Zeke fixes the machine and a few tries later they start creating their own posters: they even add a few drops of their own blood and suddenly those epic words appear on Frankie’s mind: “The edge is shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.”
After they finish, they start making copies, posting them around the town. But they have no idea their innocent art concept will turn into something liberating, explosive, rebellious! Some people thing Satan worshippers wrote those words as some people think this is bunch of vagabonds’ criminal act against the law. But most the of townies became inspired and entire town get covered with those posters till some unexpected events change everything, things escalated and become more chaotic!
2 decades later Frankie becomes Frances Eleanor Budge, a famous children books author, mother of a little girl, happily married with a dentist, getting a call from a New Yorker reporter Mazzy Brower. The woman finds her true identity and her involvement with Coalfield Panic of 1996! Can you Frankie lie and get away from her past or is she brave enough bring out dirt which means she has to confront with the people who never knew what she’s done and what she’s responsible of!
I read it in one sitting! Definitely a must read!
Highly recommended!
So many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
blog
November 15, 2022
***NOW AVAILABLE***
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
His writing is unique, I felt these characters talking to me in an incredibly personal way. This book just felt so genuine and I personally loved the author’s notes which explain how this is “almost” a memoir for him.
Frankie is a young teen, 16 and on her own during the day her mom works and her triplet brothers are off doing things they probably shouldn’t.
She meets another newbie, Zeke, temporarily living with his grandmother while his parents are going through a divorce!!
I loved these characters, they were so tender and young and they just wanted to find something to occupy themselves during the long hot summer. Frankie is a writer, Zeke is a budding artist. As per the blurb, you will know that they find an old copy machine and together make a poster that creates all manner of havoc.
They wanted to share their poster, so they made copies, plastered them all over town, harmless really – until some older teens make up a story that get the local police involved. This is a small town where not much happens so everyone jumps on this story. Then other people make copies, post them in other towns, etc etc etc.
Fast forward 20 years, Frankie is married, a successful writer and an unknown journalist comes upon the fact that it was Frankie who created the poster. She has a decision to make – she has to talk to Zeke.
Finding Zeke wasn’t that hard – he is doing artwork for some comic books, etc, back at his grandma’s house.
I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of this sweet novel!
Pros:
Characters that I adored and were definitely well described.
A premise incredibly unique and also sweet, innocent and a bit scary in it’s power to influence others.
I flew through this book – and enjoyed every minute of it.
CONS:
Nothing much, perhaps a little disappointment with the ending, but I don’t mind being able to visualize my own ending.
If you don’t like teenagers or their young angst, you probably won’t like this book.
LAST COMMENTS: To everyone else out there I can highly recommend this novel, it has all the feels and you will have a lovely time reading it.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was an immense pleasure to read and review this title!!
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
His writing is unique, I felt these characters talking to me in an incredibly personal way. This book just felt so genuine and I personally loved the author’s notes which explain how this is “almost” a memoir for him.
Frankie is a young teen, 16 and on her own during the day her mom works and her triplet brothers are off doing things they probably shouldn’t.
She meets another newbie, Zeke, temporarily living with his grandmother while his parents are going through a divorce!!
I loved these characters, they were so tender and young and they just wanted to find something to occupy themselves during the long hot summer. Frankie is a writer, Zeke is a budding artist. As per the blurb, you will know that they find an old copy machine and together make a poster that creates all manner of havoc.
They wanted to share their poster, so they made copies, plastered them all over town, harmless really – until some older teens make up a story that get the local police involved. This is a small town where not much happens so everyone jumps on this story. Then other people make copies, post them in other towns, etc etc etc.
Fast forward 20 years, Frankie is married, a successful writer and an unknown journalist comes upon the fact that it was Frankie who created the poster. She has a decision to make – she has to talk to Zeke.
Finding Zeke wasn’t that hard – he is doing artwork for some comic books, etc, back at his grandma’s house.
I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of this sweet novel!
Pros:
Characters that I adored and were definitely well described.
A premise incredibly unique and also sweet, innocent and a bit scary in it’s power to influence others.
I flew through this book – and enjoyed every minute of it.
CONS:
Nothing much, perhaps a little disappointment with the ending, but I don’t mind being able to visualize my own ending.
If you don’t like teenagers or their young angst, you probably won’t like this book.
LAST COMMENTS: To everyone else out there I can highly recommend this novel, it has all the feels and you will have a lovely time reading it.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss. It was an immense pleasure to read and review this title!!
November 17, 2022
This is my third Kevin Wilson book, after The Family Fang, which was quite good, and Nothing To See Here, which was very good indeed. This latest novel, however, is my favourite of all. The structure and settings are fantastic, the characters are well-drawn and likeable, and the dialogues are pitch perfect. My only complaint is that the story was a little understated, but in fairness understatement is sort of Wilson's thing, and in any case I was never bored at any point, so I'm going to give it full stars and hope that it finds all the success it deserves following its release.
December 20, 2022
hmmm. a little too simple for the story to be as effective as i wanted.
which is why i found myself really like the first part of the book set in 1996. i love a coming-of-age story, so i enjoyed reading about frankie and zekes friendship. i thought it was sweet.
but i just couldnt get behind the present day chapters. they dont accomplish what i think they were meant to and its because the book is too short and too simple. it almost feels detached, as if its a completely separate story. maybe if the present day chapters were more developed, it might feel like a better second half of the book.
so good idea, just not the best execution or follow through.
↠ 3 stars
which is why i found myself really like the first part of the book set in 1996. i love a coming-of-age story, so i enjoyed reading about frankie and zekes friendship. i thought it was sweet.
but i just couldnt get behind the present day chapters. they dont accomplish what i think they were meant to and its because the book is too short and too simple. it almost feels detached, as if its a completely separate story. maybe if the present day chapters were more developed, it might feel like a better second half of the book.
so good idea, just not the best execution or follow through.
↠ 3 stars
November 26, 2022
“I had always been curious about how you could live a life where you never worried about repercussions, never considered that the thing you did rippled out into the world.”
When Goodreads friend Debbie lugs her pogo stick out of her shed, I pay attention, despite the fact I worry about her breaking a bone one of these days! A contagiously enthusiastic review (Check it out here) combined with my hunch “I have a very good feeling about this” makes a book an instant add. I also know I can’t wait long, despite the fact I literally have hundreds (okay, thousands) of books vying for my attention. Along with Allison from Hurricane Girl, I now have another favorite – Frankie! It’s unusual for me to suffer from a reading slump, but I was getting deeper into one when this book rescued me. Now I want to read the entire backlist of Kevin Wilson’s work!
“It was summer, which meant that nothing was happening. It was insanely hot, making it hard to care about anything other than eating Popsicles.”
Remember those days when you were a teenager, and the summer loomed ahead? I’d always look forward to them as the last days of school approached, but no sooner had they started, the boredom quickly set in. My sister and I tried to crank up the imaginative spark, but I’m pretty certain I lacked that gene. At least, I came nowhere near as close to what sixteen year old Frankie and Zeke dreamed up as a way to cure the monotonous drag of those long, sultry hours. This is a fantastic coming of age story told from the perspective of a grown woman. Before you write this one off, however, let me tell you that I have very few coming of age stories on my favorites list – something has to be truly remarkable in order for it to land there as this one now has!
“We didn’t understand how normal this was, to be young, to believe that you were destined to make beautiful things… And that was it. That was going to be our summer. If something happened to me, it would happen to him. The next few months opened up, turned shimmery in the heat. We’d make something.”
I’m not going to reveal any more of the plot, because that would be a real disservice to any potential readers – and I want lots more friends to join the fan ranks here! But if you have any interest in the passion that drives one to write or create art, then this book is definitely for you. If you have any inkling about what it’s like to be truly obsessive about something – whether it’s a person or an idea or a habit or whatever – then you might recognize a little bit of yourself in these characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! I’m a slow reader. I like to take breaks between chapters. I wish to extend the reading experience as much as possible. Not so here! I might as well admit I was obsessed with this book!
“At that moment, I could feel something opening up in me and I realized how hard it was to walk through the day when you had an obsession and you couldn’t say a word about it… Real obsession, if you did it right, was the same intensity every single time, a kind of electrocution that kept your heart beating in time. It was so good.”
Ah, so that explains it! I’ve often wondered why I seem to “enjoy” my obsessions, no matter if they are painful or otherwise! It makes me feel alive! Kevin Wilson gets it. Maybe some of you do, too. Read this and find out if anything strikes a chord – you’ll know right away if it does. Then, like me, you’ll be spreading the word to everyone who does and does not want to hear about this book on a daily basis!
“Is that why we do anything in this life? To feel it vibrate along the line that starts at birth and ends way after we die?”
When Goodreads friend Debbie lugs her pogo stick out of her shed, I pay attention, despite the fact I worry about her breaking a bone one of these days! A contagiously enthusiastic review (Check it out here) combined with my hunch “I have a very good feeling about this” makes a book an instant add. I also know I can’t wait long, despite the fact I literally have hundreds (okay, thousands) of books vying for my attention. Along with Allison from Hurricane Girl, I now have another favorite – Frankie! It’s unusual for me to suffer from a reading slump, but I was getting deeper into one when this book rescued me. Now I want to read the entire backlist of Kevin Wilson’s work!
“It was summer, which meant that nothing was happening. It was insanely hot, making it hard to care about anything other than eating Popsicles.”
Remember those days when you were a teenager, and the summer loomed ahead? I’d always look forward to them as the last days of school approached, but no sooner had they started, the boredom quickly set in. My sister and I tried to crank up the imaginative spark, but I’m pretty certain I lacked that gene. At least, I came nowhere near as close to what sixteen year old Frankie and Zeke dreamed up as a way to cure the monotonous drag of those long, sultry hours. This is a fantastic coming of age story told from the perspective of a grown woman. Before you write this one off, however, let me tell you that I have very few coming of age stories on my favorites list – something has to be truly remarkable in order for it to land there as this one now has!
“We didn’t understand how normal this was, to be young, to believe that you were destined to make beautiful things… And that was it. That was going to be our summer. If something happened to me, it would happen to him. The next few months opened up, turned shimmery in the heat. We’d make something.”
I’m not going to reveal any more of the plot, because that would be a real disservice to any potential readers – and I want lots more friends to join the fan ranks here! But if you have any interest in the passion that drives one to write or create art, then this book is definitely for you. If you have any inkling about what it’s like to be truly obsessive about something – whether it’s a person or an idea or a habit or whatever – then you might recognize a little bit of yourself in these characters. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! I’m a slow reader. I like to take breaks between chapters. I wish to extend the reading experience as much as possible. Not so here! I might as well admit I was obsessed with this book!
“At that moment, I could feel something opening up in me and I realized how hard it was to walk through the day when you had an obsession and you couldn’t say a word about it… Real obsession, if you did it right, was the same intensity every single time, a kind of electrocution that kept your heart beating in time. It was so good.”
Ah, so that explains it! I’ve often wondered why I seem to “enjoy” my obsessions, no matter if they are painful or otherwise! It makes me feel alive! Kevin Wilson gets it. Maybe some of you do, too. Read this and find out if anything strikes a chord – you’ll know right away if it does. Then, like me, you’ll be spreading the word to everyone who does and does not want to hear about this book on a daily basis!
“Is that why we do anything in this life? To feel it vibrate along the line that starts at birth and ends way after we die?”
November 1, 2022
This is a compelling and compulsively readable coming-of-age novel about two teenagers in the late 90s who meet one summer and the project they create goes viral before going viral was even a thing.
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge meets Zeke Brown at the community swimming pool in the middle of a hot, boring summer. The odd teens become friends and decide to create "art" together. Zeke is an artist and Frankie is writing a novel, so they create a poster with a mysterious line of text and Zeke's drawing. Thanks to a copy machine in Frankie's garage, they blanket the town with posters each day, but then the people in the town start to wonder where the posters have come from, and suspicion gives rise to hysteria which gives rise to panic. Fast forward twenty years and a reporter contacts Frankie asking if she was the one responsible for the poster. Frankie must decide if she is ready to confront the past once and for all.
There is just something so likable about these characters. Frankie as an adult kind of grated on me a bit (maybe because she is still so focused on the past and that summer), but as teenagers Frankie and Zeke are so completely relatable and readers will identify with their desire to put their mark on the world. I also could appreciate and understand how things went viral with the poster, how it took on a life of its own that they could not control.
Although this is written for adults, it does have a YA feel and most of the story centers around teenagers. But the overall themes are universal and resonant, so I think this book has widespread appeal. What a great read!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge meets Zeke Brown at the community swimming pool in the middle of a hot, boring summer. The odd teens become friends and decide to create "art" together. Zeke is an artist and Frankie is writing a novel, so they create a poster with a mysterious line of text and Zeke's drawing. Thanks to a copy machine in Frankie's garage, they blanket the town with posters each day, but then the people in the town start to wonder where the posters have come from, and suspicion gives rise to hysteria which gives rise to panic. Fast forward twenty years and a reporter contacts Frankie asking if she was the one responsible for the poster. Frankie must decide if she is ready to confront the past once and for all.
There is just something so likable about these characters. Frankie as an adult kind of grated on me a bit (maybe because she is still so focused on the past and that summer), but as teenagers Frankie and Zeke are so completely relatable and readers will identify with their desire to put their mark on the world. I also could appreciate and understand how things went viral with the poster, how it took on a life of its own that they could not control.
Although this is written for adults, it does have a YA feel and most of the story centers around teenagers. But the overall themes are universal and resonant, so I think this book has widespread appeal. What a great read!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
October 30, 2022
I adored Nothing to See Here and still count it as one of my favorite audiobooks. Now Is Not the Time to Panic has the same strange vibe but it took a little longer for me to engage. Just like Frankie’s life, it’s a little boring in the beginning. But once it got going, I was hooked.
Frankie is sixteen, on summer break and without any friends when she meets Zeke. Zeke is the new kid in town. Both are awkward, talented misfits. They craft a poster and start plastering it all over town. Everyone starts trying to find meaning in or the source of the quote that Frankie has made up. And then things get out of hand.
Wilson wisely puts his Author’s Note at the beginning of the book, explaining the quote. And his explanation of the book is so good, I’ll just repeat it:
“It’s a book about friendship, about art, about memory, and about what it means to hold on to the person who we were, even as we become someone else. It’s about the ways in which art is the door that lets us walk into a new life, one that never seemed possible.”
10/30/22 - Kevin is the interviewee in today’s NYT By the Book. I loved his comment that what moves him most is “weirdness mixed with tenderness”. What an apt description of this book.
Wilson has a knack for creating characters that seem real, despite their oddities. I came to care for both of them so much and was overcome by the different ways their lives turned out. It’s a reminder how a specific event or time period can have such an oversized importance on our lives.
My thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for an advance copy of this book.
Frankie is sixteen, on summer break and without any friends when she meets Zeke. Zeke is the new kid in town. Both are awkward, talented misfits. They craft a poster and start plastering it all over town. Everyone starts trying to find meaning in or the source of the quote that Frankie has made up. And then things get out of hand.
Wilson wisely puts his Author’s Note at the beginning of the book, explaining the quote. And his explanation of the book is so good, I’ll just repeat it:
“It’s a book about friendship, about art, about memory, and about what it means to hold on to the person who we were, even as we become someone else. It’s about the ways in which art is the door that lets us walk into a new life, one that never seemed possible.”
10/30/22 - Kevin is the interviewee in today’s NYT By the Book. I loved his comment that what moves him most is “weirdness mixed with tenderness”. What an apt description of this book.
Wilson has a knack for creating characters that seem real, despite their oddities. I came to care for both of them so much and was overcome by the different ways their lives turned out. It’s a reminder how a specific event or time period can have such an oversized importance on our lives.
My thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for an advance copy of this book.
November 25, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin Wilson’s “Now Is Not The Time To Panic”. I think it’s because I have two children born in the 1990’s. This crazy story takes place in the summer of 1996 in a small town in Tennessee, Coalfield. There is so much cultural references from that time, especially musically. This is certainly a period piece. There were no smart phones; the internet wasn’t huge as it is now. Music was moving from tapes to CD’s. Alternative Music and Punk has a strong hold on the teen scene.
Frankie Budge is sixteen and a recluse and a bit strange. Even her mother says she’s the most strange and loveable child she has. Frankie has teen triplet brothers whose antics add hilarious interludes. The reader is introduced to them at a pool contest in which a Vaseline coated watermelon is thrown into the pool, and only one person wins it by clawing their way to get the watermelon to the end of the pool. When Frankie sees a skinny strange boy who really wants to win that melon, she tells her brothers to make sure the skinny kid wins the melon. Well, it’s a violent end, involving throwing the poor skinny boy, Zeke, around, crashing here and there. But he wins! And he’s happy! Zeke and Frankie become instant friends.
Frankie is a budding author. She’s been writing a story about an evil Nancy Drew. Zeke is a budding graphic artist. Both find themselves in Coalfield because their fathers had affairs. Their mothers both retreated to their hometown. Frankie has been there longer. Zeke just arrived this summer. They find companionship in their artistic endeavors and also in their interesting look at life. Zeke decides they should combine forces and create something interesting. She would write an intriguing phrase, and he will draw around it.
Author Kevin Wilson used his personal, nonsensical phrase that “evokes the self-mythologizing bravado of outlaw musicians”. His phrase, which Frankie uses:
The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.
Wilson stated that it helped him in the last 25 years; it was “a magic spell” which helped him cope with his diagnosis of Tourette syndrome and his painful childhood experiences. That personal information helps to make this story important, at least to me.
Wilson wanted to write a story that shows the power of art to change lives. From the first chapter we know there was some sort of iconic moment in Coalfield as a result of the art that Frankie and Zeke created because the first chapter involves a journalist writing an article for the “New Yorker”, calling Frankie to talk to her about the “Coalfield Panic of 1996”.
What was the “Coalfield Panic of 1996”? Well, we do learn early that this crudely made poster aka flyer, eventually became a global pop culture event. In the remaining chapters, we learn of that summer. They were never found out as the authors, thanks to the triplets previously stealing an old Xerox machine which the family thought was broken. Zeke fixes it, providing them with unlimited ability to copy their poster/flyer.
Trouble ensues, people die, adults misbehave. Only Kevin Wilson could conjure that summer and the antics Zeke and Frankie got themselves into.
1996 was also the summer of budding love for Frankie and Zeke. Their first kiss is laugh-out-loud funny. Frankie’s adorable mother makes the story sweet. She’s a single mother trying to raise “four certifiably insane children” (her words), and she does it with grace.
This is a coming-of-age story, told in a way only Wilson can. But it’s also a story of the transformative power of art. Wilson handles his teenage protagonists with love, humor, and kindness. You will remember what it was like to be awkward, insecure, yet intelligent. You will also recall the musical events of that year. It’s a fun reminder of a time of innocence, before the internet, smart phones, and social media changed our world.
I highly recommend this novel.
Frankie Budge is sixteen and a recluse and a bit strange. Even her mother says she’s the most strange and loveable child she has. Frankie has teen triplet brothers whose antics add hilarious interludes. The reader is introduced to them at a pool contest in which a Vaseline coated watermelon is thrown into the pool, and only one person wins it by clawing their way to get the watermelon to the end of the pool. When Frankie sees a skinny strange boy who really wants to win that melon, she tells her brothers to make sure the skinny kid wins the melon. Well, it’s a violent end, involving throwing the poor skinny boy, Zeke, around, crashing here and there. But he wins! And he’s happy! Zeke and Frankie become instant friends.
Frankie is a budding author. She’s been writing a story about an evil Nancy Drew. Zeke is a budding graphic artist. Both find themselves in Coalfield because their fathers had affairs. Their mothers both retreated to their hometown. Frankie has been there longer. Zeke just arrived this summer. They find companionship in their artistic endeavors and also in their interesting look at life. Zeke decides they should combine forces and create something interesting. She would write an intriguing phrase, and he will draw around it.
Author Kevin Wilson used his personal, nonsensical phrase that “evokes the self-mythologizing bravado of outlaw musicians”. His phrase, which Frankie uses:
The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.
Wilson stated that it helped him in the last 25 years; it was “a magic spell” which helped him cope with his diagnosis of Tourette syndrome and his painful childhood experiences. That personal information helps to make this story important, at least to me.
Wilson wanted to write a story that shows the power of art to change lives. From the first chapter we know there was some sort of iconic moment in Coalfield as a result of the art that Frankie and Zeke created because the first chapter involves a journalist writing an article for the “New Yorker”, calling Frankie to talk to her about the “Coalfield Panic of 1996”.
What was the “Coalfield Panic of 1996”? Well, we do learn early that this crudely made poster aka flyer, eventually became a global pop culture event. In the remaining chapters, we learn of that summer. They were never found out as the authors, thanks to the triplets previously stealing an old Xerox machine which the family thought was broken. Zeke fixes it, providing them with unlimited ability to copy their poster/flyer.
Trouble ensues, people die, adults misbehave. Only Kevin Wilson could conjure that summer and the antics Zeke and Frankie got themselves into.
1996 was also the summer of budding love for Frankie and Zeke. Their first kiss is laugh-out-loud funny. Frankie’s adorable mother makes the story sweet. She’s a single mother trying to raise “four certifiably insane children” (her words), and she does it with grace.
This is a coming-of-age story, told in a way only Wilson can. But it’s also a story of the transformative power of art. Wilson handles his teenage protagonists with love, humor, and kindness. You will remember what it was like to be awkward, insecure, yet intelligent. You will also recall the musical events of that year. It’s a fun reminder of a time of innocence, before the internet, smart phones, and social media changed our world.
I highly recommend this novel.
September 13, 2022
4 + stars
Author’s notes aren’t always interesting, but I read every one that an author includes in any book I read. I love knowing the inspiration for a story. It always makes it so much more meaningful for me. My Goodreads friend Betsy Robinson knows that. I was drawn to read this book when I read her review and then she lured me in further by telling me I’d love the note at the beginning. I did, but I also really loved the story and these characters.
It has more of a YA slant than I usually read, but I took Betsy’s word for it that it was more than that. It was . It’s about two misfit, nerdy, and quirky teenagers, one an aspiring artist and one an aspiring writer . Two lonely souls from broken homes share a summer “ making art” and that has a bigger impact than they could possibly imagine with repercussions that change the small town of Coalfield, TN and people’s lives , especially theirs. While it’s a coming of age story it’s more than a typical teenage story filled with angst . Kevin Wilson describes it much better than I could ever in his note: “It’s a book about friendship, about art, about memory, and about what it means to hold on to the person who we were, even as we become someone else.”
I’m not going to say much more because I hope you’ll discover these characters who touched my heart for yourself . Thanks so much to Betsy for her review which made me want to read this right away . Here it is : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I received a copy of this book from Ecco/HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
Author’s notes aren’t always interesting, but I read every one that an author includes in any book I read. I love knowing the inspiration for a story. It always makes it so much more meaningful for me. My Goodreads friend Betsy Robinson knows that. I was drawn to read this book when I read her review and then she lured me in further by telling me I’d love the note at the beginning. I did, but I also really loved the story and these characters.
It has more of a YA slant than I usually read, but I took Betsy’s word for it that it was more than that. It was . It’s about two misfit, nerdy, and quirky teenagers, one an aspiring artist and one an aspiring writer . Two lonely souls from broken homes share a summer “ making art” and that has a bigger impact than they could possibly imagine with repercussions that change the small town of Coalfield, TN and people’s lives , especially theirs. While it’s a coming of age story it’s more than a typical teenage story filled with angst . Kevin Wilson describes it much better than I could ever in his note: “It’s a book about friendship, about art, about memory, and about what it means to hold on to the person who we were, even as we become someone else.”
I’m not going to say much more because I hope you’ll discover these characters who touched my heart for yourself . Thanks so much to Betsy for her review which made me want to read this right away . Here it is : https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I received a copy of this book from Ecco/HarperCollins through Edelweiss.
December 31, 2022
This novel is so clearly written by the same person/same brain as NOTHING TO SEE HERE. Here is the same gentle humor, the same human misunderstandings and misapprehensions, the same sort of bittersweet resolution in the end, where things may not be perfect but they are as perfect as possible..
The story felt a little stretched and in need of more happenings for me to have felt completely satisfied. Also, even if there is nothing in this novel that's so fantastically odd as combusting children, sometimes I was pulled out of the fictional dream by plot points dependent on coincidence. Now and then I found myself thinking: "people would never act that way." Some of the writing feels a little slapdash. Even with these reservations I still enjoyed spending time with Kevin Wilson and I'm looking forward to reading his next novel. He is an incredibly big-hearted writer. I admire that about him--his willingness to be sentimental, and even his willingness, now and then, to be shallow. Readability is not a bad word.
The story felt a little stretched and in need of more happenings for me to have felt completely satisfied. Also, even if there is nothing in this novel that's so fantastically odd as combusting children, sometimes I was pulled out of the fictional dream by plot points dependent on coincidence. Now and then I found myself thinking: "people would never act that way." Some of the writing feels a little slapdash. Even with these reservations I still enjoyed spending time with Kevin Wilson and I'm looking forward to reading his next novel. He is an incredibly big-hearted writer. I admire that about him--his willingness to be sentimental, and even his willingness, now and then, to be shallow. Readability is not a bad word.
November 16, 2022
I know EVERYONE, (perhaps not Jan and I) loved this book, so here I am wondering what I missed. I didn't relate to the characters, or the supposed story line and felt adrift as to why there was a plethora of five star ratings. Maybe, it's my mood and a rainy day, but I felt this book was definitely boring and pretty inane.
I did like this author's Nothing To See Here. However, this one was a definite bust for me. Sadly, (especially since I bought it) I am putting this one to rest.
****Audible took it back!!! Win Win for me!
I did like this author's Nothing To See Here. However, this one was a definite bust for me. Sadly, (especially since I bought it) I am putting this one to rest.
****Audible took it back!!! Win Win for me!
November 12, 2022
I loved Nothing to See Here but this book didn't work for me as much.
The whole plot is basically laid out in the synopsis, there aren't a lot of surprises left to reveal. The phrase wasn't really that fascinating to make it's constant repetition anything other than dulling. The anxiety that adult Frankie still felt sounded unrealistic, as well as the fact that her narrative voice did not change at all in 21 years. The last conversation between the two MC's and the ending were really disappointing. All the build up of the potential domino effect didn't really serve any purpose because the dreaded consequences never got addressed.
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and Ecco in exchange for an honest review.
The whole plot is basically laid out in the synopsis, there aren't a lot of surprises left to reveal. The phrase wasn't really that fascinating to make it's constant repetition anything other than dulling. The anxiety that adult Frankie still felt sounded unrealistic, as well as the fact that her narrative voice did not change at all in 21 years. The last conversation between the two MC's and the ending were really disappointing. All the build up of the potential domino effect didn't really serve any purpose because the dreaded consequences never got addressed.
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and Ecco in exchange for an honest review.
September 22, 2022
4-5 stars rounded up
This is a coming of age story with a difference.
‘The edge is a shanty town filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives and the law is skinny with hunger for us”. Are you intrigued??
This is the story of sixteen year old misfits Frankie Budge and Zeke who has unhappily moved to Coalfield, Tennessee to live with his grandmother in the summer of 1996. Both are lonely, both are very talented and clever. They collaborate on a project and create a piece of art, adding the above two sentences and make multiple copies which they surreptitiously spread throughout Coalfield. They could not have predicted the consequences of their ‘arty’ actions and its subsequent dangerous repercussions. Fast forward to the present day to Frankie, now a well known author, who receives a phone call from a Mazzy Bowers claiming ‘she knows everything ‘. Frankie is in a panic, is the carefully constructed world she’s created with her husband and daughter about toe crumble? She’s kept the secret of her and Zeke’s actions for all these years - that seems about to change.
This is my first read by Kevin Wilson and I’m impressed! This is so good, so different, original and creative but also gently humorous. What a great combination! It examines in a unique and intense way, something that impacts the rest of your life. How a seemingly great and novel idea of two shy, introverted and naive kids can become something huge and out of control. It leads to something utterly bizarre, a bit mad, at times a tad absurd but by the same token frightening. There are occasions when it has an almost other worldly, dreamlike or maybe even nightmarish feel to it.
The quality of the writing is outstanding especially the way the author so sympathetically presents Frankie and Zeke and he makes you feel for them. Their characterisation is exceptionally good and a big shout out for Frankie’s mum, she’s a top mum partly because she just lets Frankie be Frankie.
This is a poignant tale and in many ways a tender one but which never strays into the saccharine. I like the somewhat abrupt and undecided ending which in my opinion fits perfectly.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Text Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
This is a coming of age story with a difference.
‘The edge is a shanty town filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives and the law is skinny with hunger for us”. Are you intrigued??
This is the story of sixteen year old misfits Frankie Budge and Zeke who has unhappily moved to Coalfield, Tennessee to live with his grandmother in the summer of 1996. Both are lonely, both are very talented and clever. They collaborate on a project and create a piece of art, adding the above two sentences and make multiple copies which they surreptitiously spread throughout Coalfield. They could not have predicted the consequences of their ‘arty’ actions and its subsequent dangerous repercussions. Fast forward to the present day to Frankie, now a well known author, who receives a phone call from a Mazzy Bowers claiming ‘she knows everything ‘. Frankie is in a panic, is the carefully constructed world she’s created with her husband and daughter about toe crumble? She’s kept the secret of her and Zeke’s actions for all these years - that seems about to change.
This is my first read by Kevin Wilson and I’m impressed! This is so good, so different, original and creative but also gently humorous. What a great combination! It examines in a unique and intense way, something that impacts the rest of your life. How a seemingly great and novel idea of two shy, introverted and naive kids can become something huge and out of control. It leads to something utterly bizarre, a bit mad, at times a tad absurd but by the same token frightening. There are occasions when it has an almost other worldly, dreamlike or maybe even nightmarish feel to it.
The quality of the writing is outstanding especially the way the author so sympathetically presents Frankie and Zeke and he makes you feel for them. Their characterisation is exceptionally good and a big shout out for Frankie’s mum, she’s a top mum partly because she just lets Frankie be Frankie.
This is a poignant tale and in many ways a tender one but which never strays into the saccharine. I like the somewhat abrupt and undecided ending which in my opinion fits perfectly.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Text Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
September 6, 2023
Ah, to be a teenager again. Not that I would if I could. It’s just that Kevin Wilson’s Now Is Not the Time to Panic has stirred up my nostalgia.
When sixteen-year-old Frankie, an aspiring writer, and Zeke, an artist, meet at Coalfield, Tennessee’s local swimming pool in the summer of 1996, they click. They start hanging out and kissing a little on the side, but then summer love soon turns to summer boredom. And out of that boredom comes a poster with eerie imagery and a mysterious phrase – a combination of Zeke’s artistry and Frankie’s words – and they hang hundreds of copies of it across the town. But not knowing who's behind it, the townspeople begin to panic. Because it must be Satanists, right?
Wilson’s latest book is about the awkwardness, the loneliness, and the need for connection and understanding you feel as a teen, all while you’re figuring yourself out. It’s about art, too, and how it ripples out into the world. Which leads to an interesting question: are you responsible for the aftereffects of your creation?
With the story being set before the internet takes off, it’s fascinating to see how the panic sets in, almost cult-like. It's an absorbing read and I gobbled it up, partly because Wilson’s writing just pulls you along, and partly because I was captivated by the dynamics of Frankie and Zeke’s relationship. They’re not really toxic, but they do sometimes trigger the other’s compulsions and obsessions.
And on the subject of obsession, I never quite understood Frankie’s soul-consuming preoccupation with the poster. Not so much as a teenager, but how she can’t let it go as an adult. It’s odd for sure, and a good example of an obsession gone too far.
When sixteen-year-old Frankie, an aspiring writer, and Zeke, an artist, meet at Coalfield, Tennessee’s local swimming pool in the summer of 1996, they click. They start hanging out and kissing a little on the side, but then summer love soon turns to summer boredom. And out of that boredom comes a poster with eerie imagery and a mysterious phrase – a combination of Zeke’s artistry and Frankie’s words – and they hang hundreds of copies of it across the town. But not knowing who's behind it, the townspeople begin to panic. Because it must be Satanists, right?
Wilson’s latest book is about the awkwardness, the loneliness, and the need for connection and understanding you feel as a teen, all while you’re figuring yourself out. It’s about art, too, and how it ripples out into the world. Which leads to an interesting question: are you responsible for the aftereffects of your creation?
With the story being set before the internet takes off, it’s fascinating to see how the panic sets in, almost cult-like. It's an absorbing read and I gobbled it up, partly because Wilson’s writing just pulls you along, and partly because I was captivated by the dynamics of Frankie and Zeke’s relationship. They’re not really toxic, but they do sometimes trigger the other’s compulsions and obsessions.
And on the subject of obsession, I never quite understood Frankie’s soul-consuming preoccupation with the poster. Not so much as a teenager, but how she can’t let it go as an adult. It’s odd for sure, and a good example of an obsession gone too far.
January 17, 2023
4+ stars
This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I will look forward to anything that he writes!
1996 Coalfield, Tennessee
Frankie and Zeke are a 16 yr old girl and boy who over the boredom of summer break, make a poster with her writing talent and his artwork.
The saying on the poster is : "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us."
They make copies of this and post them up everywhere they can think of!
This goes viral and lots of things happen.. some very bad things . It is deemed by many as “troubling street art” and “Satanic”
The story alternates to present time where their past comes back to them..because no one ever knew who made the poster… it was a secret.
I loved this story… I could definitely identify with the teenage feelings
This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I will look forward to anything that he writes!
1996 Coalfield, Tennessee
Frankie and Zeke are a 16 yr old girl and boy who over the boredom of summer break, make a poster with her writing talent and his artwork.
The saying on the poster is : "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us."
They make copies of this and post them up everywhere they can think of!
This goes viral and lots of things happen.. some very bad things . It is deemed by many as “troubling street art” and “Satanic”
The story alternates to present time where their past comes back to them..because no one ever knew who made the poster… it was a secret.
I loved this story… I could definitely identify with the teenage feelings
January 6, 2023
Another sweet and endearing story from the amazing, Kevin Wilson.
This coming of age story centers around 16 year old Frankie, an aspiring writer, and new kid in town, Zeke, an aspiring artist. Two lonely kids without friends that happen to see themselves in one another. The bond between the pair made my heart soar. I loved these characters which is something I have come to expect from any Wilson novel.
"We didn’t matter. That’s what was official, that we were invisible to everyone in the entire world except each other."
The two cause a stir in town when the *art project* they work on together in an effort to beat summertime boredom catches the attention of an entire nation. However, no one knows who's behind it and Frankie and Zeke plan to keep their secret until more than 20 years later when Frankie receives a call from a reporter threatening to expose her.
As much as I loved the story of Frankie and Zeke I did miss the Wilson trademark humor that I've come to expect. This book isn't quite as zany as Nothing to See Here or The Family Fang both of which had me belly laughing my way through. That's okay though because it was Frankie and Zeke and their amazing characterization that made this novel shine and the supporting cast of characters rounded out this book beautifully. Frankie's mom and her older triplet brothers were fantastic. The nostalgia that this book stirred in me had me skipping down memory lane as I was also a teenager in the nineties. Wilson really captured the time and essence of those good old days of my youth.
So now is not the time to panic, now is the time when you grab a copy of this heartwarming book! 4 stars!
Thanks to Overdrive for the loan!
This coming of age story centers around 16 year old Frankie, an aspiring writer, and new kid in town, Zeke, an aspiring artist. Two lonely kids without friends that happen to see themselves in one another. The bond between the pair made my heart soar. I loved these characters which is something I have come to expect from any Wilson novel.
"We didn’t matter. That’s what was official, that we were invisible to everyone in the entire world except each other."
The two cause a stir in town when the *art project* they work on together in an effort to beat summertime boredom catches the attention of an entire nation. However, no one knows who's behind it and Frankie and Zeke plan to keep their secret until more than 20 years later when Frankie receives a call from a reporter threatening to expose her.
As much as I loved the story of Frankie and Zeke I did miss the Wilson trademark humor that I've come to expect. This book isn't quite as zany as Nothing to See Here or The Family Fang both of which had me belly laughing my way through. That's okay though because it was Frankie and Zeke and their amazing characterization that made this novel shine and the supporting cast of characters rounded out this book beautifully. Frankie's mom and her older triplet brothers were fantastic. The nostalgia that this book stirred in me had me skipping down memory lane as I was also a teenager in the nineties. Wilson really captured the time and essence of those good old days of my youth.
So now is not the time to panic, now is the time when you grab a copy of this heartwarming book! 4 stars!
Thanks to Overdrive for the loan!
January 19, 2023
It took some time to get invested in the story, since it started with two teenagers being bored. But after a while they grew on me. I saw that they needed to find something with meaning, and at the boredom created a room for creativity and searching. The book is unlike anything. You get this strange feeling from not quite understanding what happens. Teenagers hanging up posters that makes a town go crazy? A truly unique plot. The writing was wonderful and there was something magical about the book.
November 9, 2022
Two lonely teenage misfits meet one summer and create art which changes their lives forever. Talk about a fantastic book! I loved reading this and can't believe this is the first book I have read by Kevin Wilson.
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge, an aspiring writer met Zeke, an artist that fateful summer. Zeke was staying at his grandmother's home and was as lonely as Frankie. Together they made an unsigned poster using a xerox machine and their own blood. They wrote about being fugitives and plastered their posters anywhere and everywhere all over town. People talked about the posters, people speculated about their origin and what the posters meant, and things take a turn....
Twenty years later, Frankie is a happily married woman with a daughter. She is a famous author and enjoys her life until one day she receives a phone call that threatens everything. Mazzy Brower, a journalist is writing about what happened twenty years ago. Will this be what destroys Mazzy's life? She needs to talk to Zeke.
This book was so good!!!! I loved the writing, the plot, and the characters. I did not want to put this book down, so I didn't. This can easily be read in one sitting. Be prepared to be glued to the pages as I was.
I look forward to reading more of his work soon.
Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge, an aspiring writer met Zeke, an artist that fateful summer. Zeke was staying at his grandmother's home and was as lonely as Frankie. Together they made an unsigned poster using a xerox machine and their own blood. They wrote about being fugitives and plastered their posters anywhere and everywhere all over town. People talked about the posters, people speculated about their origin and what the posters meant, and things take a turn....
Twenty years later, Frankie is a happily married woman with a daughter. She is a famous author and enjoys her life until one day she receives a phone call that threatens everything. Mazzy Brower, a journalist is writing about what happened twenty years ago. Will this be what destroys Mazzy's life? She needs to talk to Zeke.
This book was so good!!!! I loved the writing, the plot, and the characters. I did not want to put this book down, so I didn't. This can easily be read in one sitting. Be prepared to be glued to the pages as I was.
I look forward to reading more of his work soon.
Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
November 11, 2022
Audiobook…. read by Ginnifer Goodwin, Kevin Wilson
….6 hours and 13 minutes
The year was 1996….
….Prince Charles and Diana divorced.
….a loaf of bread cost $1.15
….a gallon of gas was $1.23
….pre-packaged lunchables were popular ….
and in “Now Was Not The Time To Panic”, Pop-tarts - corn dogs and fast foods were favorite foods….along with making art, friendships, love, and memories that sustain us.
Frankie and Zeke make an enigmatic image using both of their skills — illustrations and words. I appreciated the time before the Internet when kids used their creative juices in ways they expressed themselves socially before social media.
But…
I had mixed feelings about the story, and the alternating difference between the young Frankie and the adult Frankie.
I appreciate how important this book was to the author.
In the authors notes he shared that the title of this book has been a mantra for him for the past 25 years and he shares why.
He shares about his lonely times when he was in college—( welcome to the club) —the challenging transition from the familiar support system—his small town—
—from his adolescence years to lonely as can be debilitating years in college — feeling like an outsider.
The loss of a friend was so deeply profound to him—of course I felt his sadness—related- as most people would.
I have compassion for Kevin Wilson….yet the overall book - for me wasn’t 5 stars.
Average-plus: about a 3.5 rating for me.
So many of my friends raved about this book—
—and sometimes I feel like I’m a teenager at heart enjoying a trip down memory lane. I love my friends that I still have from elementary school (Bluebirds forever memories), and my close friends from
Junior High—(deeply a part of who I am - people who supported shaping me), but the ‘adult’ in me was a little bored with the quirkiness of the story itself.
That said I appreciate this book and the love that many people adored it.
3.5 - rating up.
….6 hours and 13 minutes
The year was 1996….
….Prince Charles and Diana divorced.
….a loaf of bread cost $1.15
….a gallon of gas was $1.23
….pre-packaged lunchables were popular ….
and in “Now Was Not The Time To Panic”, Pop-tarts - corn dogs and fast foods were favorite foods….along with making art, friendships, love, and memories that sustain us.
Frankie and Zeke make an enigmatic image using both of their skills — illustrations and words. I appreciated the time before the Internet when kids used their creative juices in ways they expressed themselves socially before social media.
But…
I had mixed feelings about the story, and the alternating difference between the young Frankie and the adult Frankie.
I appreciate how important this book was to the author.
In the authors notes he shared that the title of this book has been a mantra for him for the past 25 years and he shares why.
He shares about his lonely times when he was in college—( welcome to the club) —the challenging transition from the familiar support system—his small town—
—from his adolescence years to lonely as can be debilitating years in college — feeling like an outsider.
The loss of a friend was so deeply profound to him—of course I felt his sadness—related- as most people would.
I have compassion for Kevin Wilson….yet the overall book - for me wasn’t 5 stars.
Average-plus: about a 3.5 rating for me.
So many of my friends raved about this book—
—and sometimes I feel like I’m a teenager at heart enjoying a trip down memory lane. I love my friends that I still have from elementary school (Bluebirds forever memories), and my close friends from
Junior High—(deeply a part of who I am - people who supported shaping me), but the ‘adult’ in me was a little bored with the quirkiness of the story itself.
That said I appreciate this book and the love that many people adored it.
3.5 - rating up.
November 18, 2022
In the summer of 1996 in the small town of Coalfield, Tennessee, Frances “Frankie” Budge meets a new kid in town named Zeke. The two bored teenagers decide to “make art” to pass the time. At first, Zeke draws cartoons and Frankie works on a novel she is writing. But then they decide to make a poster with a nonsensical saying and strange artwork. Frankie creates the saying “The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.” Zeke draws the artwork, which they then sprinkle with their blood. Using an old copier that Frankie’s triplet brothers had stolen a few years earlier, Frankie and Zeke start to plaster the poster all over town. Frankie in particular becomes obsessed with the poster and repeats the saying like an incantation. “We didn’t know about Xerox art or Andy Warhol or anything like that. “We thought we’d made it up. And I guess, for us, we had.”
What ensues is a hysteria that becomes known as The Coalfield Panic of 1996. The strange posters led to people believing conspiracy theories, vigilantes ready to shoot anyone they suspect of being involved, other people making new posters, and eventually several deaths. No one suspected Frankie and Zeke because they were the nerdy kids who flew under the radar. Zeke leaves Coalfield before the summer is over, and the two don’t speak again. Frankie becomes a successful author, who is happily married to a dentist with a seven-year-old daughter.
Author Kevin Wilson perfectly captures the boredom of creative kids who need an outlet to express themselves. It is a time when “every single thing that you loved became a source of both intense obsession and possible shame.” The story is told by an adult Frankie in the year 2016 after she is contacted by an art critic who has figured out that Frankie was responsible. After years of guilt, she decides to talk to the critic for a piece that will be published in The New Yorker. But first, she must first tell her husband and her mother and then try to find Zeke to let him know.
I’m rounding this up to 4-stars because of the nostalgia. Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This novel was published on November 8, 2022.
What ensues is a hysteria that becomes known as The Coalfield Panic of 1996. The strange posters led to people believing conspiracy theories, vigilantes ready to shoot anyone they suspect of being involved, other people making new posters, and eventually several deaths. No one suspected Frankie and Zeke because they were the nerdy kids who flew under the radar. Zeke leaves Coalfield before the summer is over, and the two don’t speak again. Frankie becomes a successful author, who is happily married to a dentist with a seven-year-old daughter.
Author Kevin Wilson perfectly captures the boredom of creative kids who need an outlet to express themselves. It is a time when “every single thing that you loved became a source of both intense obsession and possible shame.” The story is told by an adult Frankie in the year 2016 after she is contacted by an art critic who has figured out that Frankie was responsible. After years of guilt, she decides to talk to the critic for a piece that will be published in The New Yorker. But first, she must first tell her husband and her mother and then try to find Zeke to let him know.
I’m rounding this up to 4-stars because of the nostalgia. Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This novel was published on November 8, 2022.
July 14, 2022
3.5 I have wanted to read this author for quite awhile. Kept seeing reviews by friends of his previous books, so when I saw this one. I decided now was the time. Two lonely teens, Zeke and Frankie, both at present have broken homes, and a long boring summer. Frankie has no friends but she does have dreams of becoming a writer, Zeke is new but wants to be an artist. And so the two decide to combine both their talents. Frankie comes up with a phrase, a phrase that will loom large in their lives, and Zeke adds the artwork. They will make many copies and hang them throughout their small Tennessee town. What happens next will haunt their lives.
This was a good look at teenage angst, how our teenage years often seem larger than life. How certain moments, actions seem bigger, more intense. How a prank or specific actions can take on a life of their own. The book goes on to cover their later, adult years and how this has followed them, leaving a permanent mark.
A good book, but I think my expectations were too high, but definitely different and readable. Make sure to read the authors note, will make a difference
ARC from edelweiss.
This was a good look at teenage angst, how our teenage years often seem larger than life. How certain moments, actions seem bigger, more intense. How a prank or specific actions can take on a life of their own. The book goes on to cover their later, adult years and how this has followed them, leaving a permanent mark.
A good book, but I think my expectations were too high, but definitely different and readable. Make sure to read the authors note, will make a difference
ARC from edelweiss.
February 3, 2023
What does the author want me to take away from this novel? I cannot definitively say, and that bothers me a bit. Ultimately, this is how one ostensibly innocuous decision balloons out of control and leads to contaminating thoughts for creator and community. But how does one small act lead to widespread attention when you were just living your life, putting in your time until something interesting came along?
Is this a story about dealing with the ramifications of something that became big when it was never intended to, and doing so all while still trying to find yourself? Is it showing how we all struggle through the teen years, trying to find who and what we are? Or is this an examination of self-esteem and how our own perceptions can skew our perspective, often inflating the importance of things into bigger deals than they really are and at other times not giving ourselves enough credit for something well done? Do we let things shape us that shouldn't have that power?
Perhaps, most of all, this could be a story of laying to rest the days of our youth, whether youth is from 30+ years ago or just yesterday. We need to set aside all of it, the good and the bad, and realize that we are all always learning and growing and moving forward into the known and unknown. We never truly find ourselves, at least not all the way, because we're constantly shifting, acting and reacting, evolving into the person we are today. And maybe that is what bothers me most of all, the idea that it can all change on a whim and we are often powerless to prevent it.
Is this a story about dealing with the ramifications of something that became big when it was never intended to, and doing so all while still trying to find yourself? Is it showing how we all struggle through the teen years, trying to find who and what we are? Or is this an examination of self-esteem and how our own perceptions can skew our perspective, often inflating the importance of things into bigger deals than they really are and at other times not giving ourselves enough credit for something well done? Do we let things shape us that shouldn't have that power?
Perhaps, most of all, this could be a story of laying to rest the days of our youth, whether youth is from 30+ years ago or just yesterday. We need to set aside all of it, the good and the bad, and realize that we are all always learning and growing and moving forward into the known and unknown. We never truly find ourselves, at least not all the way, because we're constantly shifting, acting and reacting, evolving into the person we are today. And maybe that is what bothers me most of all, the idea that it can all change on a whim and we are often powerless to prevent it.
June 24, 2022
My thanks to the author, Kevin Wilson, Harper Collins Publishers and Goodreads Giveaways for this galley copy. This is the story of a young teen girl, disconnected from the world around her, who develops an attachment to a young man and together they create something that anchors them to the world, that says we are here and will be remembered. The story follows them to adulthood and how they're actions impacted them. Definitely a to be read book!
November 23, 2022
[3.5] I've liked everything Kevin Wilson has published and this novel is no exception. The premise is great and the characters are promising. But, the only part that I loved was the last poignant 50 pages. I'm not sure if this book feels more like an underdeveloped novel or an overly padded short story. I think it would have been a phenomenal short story.
December 22, 2022
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer . . . you'll wish that summer could always be here. (Nat King Cole 1963)
One special summer, two nerdy misfits, and their personal creation of an art project that takes on a life of its own, eventually seguing into obsession. When you are 16 years old, everything that happens to you seems of the utmost importance. You may feel left out, lonely, awkward around everyone with which you come into contact. No one else "gets it". Then, against all odds, you find a friend, or that person finds you. It just may change everything.
You might want to give this a whirl, even if it doesn't sound like something you would typically read. That's what I did, based on a couple of reviews from GR buddies. As it turns out, I would not wanted to have missed it.
One special summer, two nerdy misfits, and their personal creation of an art project that takes on a life of its own, eventually seguing into obsession. When you are 16 years old, everything that happens to you seems of the utmost importance. You may feel left out, lonely, awkward around everyone with which you come into contact. No one else "gets it". Then, against all odds, you find a friend, or that person finds you. It just may change everything.
You might want to give this a whirl, even if it doesn't sound like something you would typically read. That's what I did, based on a couple of reviews from GR buddies. As it turns out, I would not wanted to have missed it.
November 17, 2022
Now is Not the Time to Panic, is a beautiful, coming-of age-story of two teens in the 90's--a story so compelling, I felt like a character, experiencing their journey. Who doesn't remember a crazy teen moment? What if that crazy goes viral--but there is no way to defend yourself or your story, because it's the 90's and online platforms don't exist?
Frankie and Zeke are both outcasts. They come together, using their artistic creativity to create a poster that explodes into a buzz of attention in their small town. They connect on this one piece of artwork, which changes their lives. First, their community, than nationally, and even internationally. Impossible to imagine, one piece of artwork creates a new version of their world, changing the trajectory, forever. When people get hurt, extreme measures are taken.
The story is told through the eyes of Frankie, as a 16-year-old and then an adult--successful writer, married with a daughter. A reporter finds Frankie, wanting her to share her story with the world. It becomes more complicated when she needs to find Zeke and tell him.
There was so much to love about this book. Though it started out a bit slow, I was amazed and shocked by the direction the story took.
Now is Not the Time to Panic, made me think about so many different things. How much responsibility does someone/anyone's artistic work have on the reaction and interpretation of others' to it? What can make or break a friendship? I thought about my own teenage years, in the late 90's, navigating an obsession with the grunge scene, friendships, betrayals, loves, losses. There are many elements and emotions in these tumultuous years, it's hard to know how you fit into a world that feels overwhelming.
Isn't it interesting--the things we don't realize, when we are teens? Kevin Wilson does a beautiful job bringing this coming-of-age story together. A small poster with the phrase: "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives and the law is skinny with hunger for us," changes the lives of these true friends, that also share a love of art and each other.
One of the best things about this book--the author's note! Don't miss it, it ties the book together in all the ways that were missing from the story.
"To be a teenager, it takes very little to think that someone else might actually know who you are, even as you spend all your time thinking that no one understands you. It’s such a lovely feeling".
4.5/5 stars
Frankie and Zeke are both outcasts. They come together, using their artistic creativity to create a poster that explodes into a buzz of attention in their small town. They connect on this one piece of artwork, which changes their lives. First, their community, than nationally, and even internationally. Impossible to imagine, one piece of artwork creates a new version of their world, changing the trajectory, forever. When people get hurt, extreme measures are taken.
The story is told through the eyes of Frankie, as a 16-year-old and then an adult--successful writer, married with a daughter. A reporter finds Frankie, wanting her to share her story with the world. It becomes more complicated when she needs to find Zeke and tell him.
There was so much to love about this book. Though it started out a bit slow, I was amazed and shocked by the direction the story took.
Now is Not the Time to Panic, made me think about so many different things. How much responsibility does someone/anyone's artistic work have on the reaction and interpretation of others' to it? What can make or break a friendship? I thought about my own teenage years, in the late 90's, navigating an obsession with the grunge scene, friendships, betrayals, loves, losses. There are many elements and emotions in these tumultuous years, it's hard to know how you fit into a world that feels overwhelming.
Isn't it interesting--the things we don't realize, when we are teens? Kevin Wilson does a beautiful job bringing this coming-of-age story together. A small poster with the phrase: "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives and the law is skinny with hunger for us," changes the lives of these true friends, that also share a love of art and each other.
One of the best things about this book--the author's note! Don't miss it, it ties the book together in all the ways that were missing from the story.
"To be a teenager, it takes very little to think that someone else might actually know who you are, even as you spend all your time thinking that no one understands you. It’s such a lovely feeling".
4.5/5 stars
October 30, 2022
A chance meeting of two teens in 1996 has life-altering effects after they create a piece of art that goes viral before that was even a thing.
This book encapsulates feelings one experiences in youth: invincibility, limitless time, the urge to create something that will be impactful and lasting. It also explores feeling like an outcast and the fact that that doesn’t necessarily go away as an adult.
Wilson’s quirky characters and sharp, humorous dialogue create an authentic snapshot of a passionate friendship. Even though it is only a brief relationship, it has enduring and poignant reverberations that ripple through time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the advanced copy.
This book encapsulates feelings one experiences in youth: invincibility, limitless time, the urge to create something that will be impactful and lasting. It also explores feeling like an outcast and the fact that that doesn’t necessarily go away as an adult.
Wilson’s quirky characters and sharp, humorous dialogue create an authentic snapshot of a passionate friendship. Even though it is only a brief relationship, it has enduring and poignant reverberations that ripple through time.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for the advanced copy.
December 13, 2023
3.5 Stars
The short version: Two lonely 16 year-olds meet, make art and put it out in the world. It has lasting repercussions.
Wilson writes with heart. He perfectly captures being 16 with all of it's insecurities.
"I almost never told anyone what I liked because I was terrified that they would tell me how stupid it was. Every single thing that you loved became a source of both intense obsession and possible shame. Everything was a secret."
Frankie and Zeke become friends and recognize something in each other. They bond over their absent fathers, their loneliness, and their love of art. They discover how powerful the creation of something can be.
" We’d created meaning where there was none, but, I don’t know, isn’t that art? Or at least I think it’s the kind of art that I like, where the obsession of one person envelops other people, transforms them."
I must admit to experiencing some nostalgia for living without cell phones and for the nascent internet. I enjoyed the reminder of how news spread, and it did, without these technologies.
Wilson also questions the responsibility of the artist for how their work is received and what it may trigger once it is out in the world. He reminds me that any work of art will have a different impact on each receiver and we will determine our own meanings from them.
I enjoyed Wilson's creative premise, his unique and insightful lens into these two teens and their world. His reminder
"I also think it's not so bad if you never quite feel right in this world. It's still worth hanging around. You just have to look harder to find the things you love?"
Publication 2022
The short version: Two lonely 16 year-olds meet, make art and put it out in the world. It has lasting repercussions.
Wilson writes with heart. He perfectly captures being 16 with all of it's insecurities.
"I almost never told anyone what I liked because I was terrified that they would tell me how stupid it was. Every single thing that you loved became a source of both intense obsession and possible shame. Everything was a secret."
Frankie and Zeke become friends and recognize something in each other. They bond over their absent fathers, their loneliness, and their love of art. They discover how powerful the creation of something can be.
" We’d created meaning where there was none, but, I don’t know, isn’t that art? Or at least I think it’s the kind of art that I like, where the obsession of one person envelops other people, transforms them."
I must admit to experiencing some nostalgia for living without cell phones and for the nascent internet. I enjoyed the reminder of how news spread, and it did, without these technologies.
Wilson also questions the responsibility of the artist for how their work is received and what it may trigger once it is out in the world. He reminds me that any work of art will have a different impact on each receiver and we will determine our own meanings from them.
I enjoyed Wilson's creative premise, his unique and insightful lens into these two teens and their world. His reminder
"I also think it's not so bad if you never quite feel right in this world. It's still worth hanging around. You just have to look harder to find the things you love?"
Publication 2022
November 15, 2022
Kevin Wilson’s titles, including “The Family Fang” and “Perfect Little World,” suggest the doleful ironies of his work. Three years ago, he published “Nothing to See Here,” a quirky novel about children who burst into flames when they’re angry. As a parable of the dangers of childhood — and child care — it was brilliant.
Wilson’s new novel is called “Now Is Not the Time to Panic,” yet another disingenuous phrase uttered only when things have gone to hell. This time around, Wilson explores the tension between adolescent creativity and cultural paranoia, that urge to affect the world and the cost of doing so. Among other things, the story is an eerie reminder that the internet didn’t invent viral memes or the mental web on which iconic images propagate.
In 1996, Frances — Frankie, to her friends — is a 16-year-old girl stuck in the dinky town of Coalfield, Tenn. Her father has run off with his secretary to start another family, which includes a new baby named Frances. Watching boys wrestle with a greased watermelon in the public pool passes for high excitement. “I’d been normal,” Frankie says, but lately she’s felt alienated. “I wanted other things, but I didn’t know how to. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Wilson’s new novel is called “Now Is Not the Time to Panic,” yet another disingenuous phrase uttered only when things have gone to hell. This time around, Wilson explores the tension between adolescent creativity and cultural paranoia, that urge to affect the world and the cost of doing so. Among other things, the story is an eerie reminder that the internet didn’t invent viral memes or the mental web on which iconic images propagate.
In 1996, Frances — Frankie, to her friends — is a 16-year-old girl stuck in the dinky town of Coalfield, Tenn. Her father has run off with his secretary to start another family, which includes a new baby named Frances. Watching boys wrestle with a greased watermelon in the public pool passes for high excitement. “I’d been normal,” Frankie says, but lately she’s felt alienated. “I wanted other things, but I didn’t know how to. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
December 11, 2022
Now Is Not The Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson is a juvenile coming-of-age story that fails to deliver compelling characters and a thought-provoking plot. The main character, Frankie Budge, is quite dull and one dimensional. She lacks the introspection necessary for growth and self-awareness. As a result, her interactions with Zeke, the male lead character, are forced and lack authenticity.
The narrative structure of Now Is Not The Time to Panic is disjointed, with too many flashbacks that do little to further the story and characters. In addition, Wilson’s writing style is far too simplistic and often borders on rambling. Many phrases are repeated throughout the book, leaving readers feeling bored or uninterested in what happens next.
At its core, this novel attempts to explore collective precariousness; however, it falls short of achieving this goal due to its shallow characterization and lack of depth in the plot development. Moreover, the tagline “We Are Fugitives And The Law” is not as meaningful or poignant as it should be considering its central role in the story.
Overall, Now Is Not The Time To Panic has potential but fails to reach it due to its reliance on clichés and lack of sincere exploration into its themes. While there are some moments where Wilson shines with his talents for writing colorful descriptions or funny dialogue exchanges between characters, these moments are too few and far between for readers to truly enjoy this book overall.
Thank you to Libro.FM for the audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The narrative structure of Now Is Not The Time to Panic is disjointed, with too many flashbacks that do little to further the story and characters. In addition, Wilson’s writing style is far too simplistic and often borders on rambling. Many phrases are repeated throughout the book, leaving readers feeling bored or uninterested in what happens next.
At its core, this novel attempts to explore collective precariousness; however, it falls short of achieving this goal due to its shallow characterization and lack of depth in the plot development. Moreover, the tagline “We Are Fugitives And The Law” is not as meaningful or poignant as it should be considering its central role in the story.
Overall, Now Is Not The Time To Panic has potential but fails to reach it due to its reliance on clichés and lack of sincere exploration into its themes. While there are some moments where Wilson shines with his talents for writing colorful descriptions or funny dialogue exchanges between characters, these moments are too few and far between for readers to truly enjoy this book overall.
Thank you to Libro.FM for the audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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