Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2022 by Time, USA Today, and Kirkus Reviews, among others. It was also named as one of the Most Anticipated Books of 2022 by the Associated Press and a slew of other publications. It is Kevin Wilson's most recent novel, although he does have one coming out this month called Run For the Hills. Now Is Not the Time to Panic deals with death, gun violence, mental illness, sexual assault, grief, a car accident, abandonment, and injury.

Frankie Budge is an outcast, even in her own family. Her father left a few years ago to make a new family with his secretary (they had the audacity to give their new baby the name Frances!) and although she's family, her triplet brothers have a world unto themselves. Enter Zeke, who is in Coalfield for the summer and also has no friends. The two trauma bond over having crappy fathers and their desire to make something big. Frankie as a writer, Zeke as an artist - they want to create something that won't be forgotten. They use the summer to work on their projects and together, make a poster that feels special. They make photocopies and distribute the poster, anonymously, around the town. Soon the poster is getting noticed and what happens next is out of their hands. Long story short - the town believes the poster was made by demon worshipers. Years later, Frankie is a full grown adult with a husband and a daughter and a series of popular novels when a woman calls and asks if she's responsible for the Coalfield Panic. Frankie is too stunned to say anything other than "yes".

I chose this book because it had decent reviews and seemed to be well liked, but mostly because it was short. The audio book wraps up in a cool 6 hours 13 minutes. I thought, easy peasy! It'll be great for a month in which I'm incredibly busy! So tell me why this book felt like it took the whole month to listen to. It moved so slowly, and most of it was spent with Frankie repeating the same things to herself with very little variation. I didn't not feel like any of the characters were very relatable, especially Frankie, which is saying something for someone who was once a teenage girl who always felt on the cusp of everyone else's groups. Between the pacing and the lack of connection to the characters, I didn't particularly like this book. But it was funny at moments, in a subtle way, and the catch phrase of the poster is very good. "The law is skinny with hunger for us" is a great line.

I'm giving Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson 3 stars out of 5. I didn't really like it but I wouldn't say it was bad. If you have read other Kevin Wilson novels and enjoyed them, you will probably like this too. But it wasn't for me.

For more from the author, check out his website at https://www.wilsonkevin.com/

Pairs well with an ocean water from Sonic and making something that you love.