Now Is Not the Time to Panic

This novel really worked for me, conjuring the feelings of being a slightly weird teenager who feels outside of everyone, finding that one other weirdo who makes you feel less alone. The idea of having a secret that is so big it almost makes you want to burst. The desire to do something, anything, to make your mark. I always enjoy Kevin Wilson's writing and characters, and Frankie and Zeke felt extra special. I know I will return to this one again.

I did not love this book. But, I really appreciated the author's note at the end.
I think the book had believable characters and a moving plot. I just did not like the POV character, and sometimes that happens.
I think the author was able to convey the almost painful attachment we can make to some memories and how people can obsess over things that don't mean anything to others. He does some beautiful work with having characters grow and also let other people be.

Audiobook

Just because you put it out there doesn't mean it will be taken like you intended.

Frankie and Zeke meet and instantly connect in that way that only teens, and especially artsy teens, can. They come up with an idea to make posters—Frankie writes the words, and Zeke draws the illustrations—to place all over town.

And chaos ensues.

What is the meaning of the posters? Some think the posters are the work of a demonic cult. Others tell stories about kidnappers. The tales circulating around the posters grow taller and taller.

A fascinating slate of characters and a curious plot kept me reading and reading.

Kevin Wilson's previous book, Nothing to See Here, is one of my favorite books in recent years. This latest book doesn't quite get into that category for me, but it does cement Wilson as an author for which I will read basically anything he puts out at this point.

Now Is Not The Time To Panic is a great little book about things like obsession and art and relevance and meaning. The story follows a familiar trope in the vein of something like Stand By Me as it is about fleeting events of a summer that profoundly affect the rest of the lives of a few teenagers, but as with other Kevin Wilson books I've read, everything is a bit heightened and strange, while still occuring in a grounded reality. I just really dig his style.

I listened to this via a library audiobook narrated by Ginnifer Goodwin, who captured the tone perfectly and injected a great energy into the story. The author himself also narrates a section that comes after the book and talks about his writing process here, including the origin of the book's repeated mantra, which is an interesting and touching story on its own.

3.5 stars.

The main character was interesting enough, but the time jump really didn't help with her development. And none of the other characters were developed either.

I really enjoyed this book. I was able to connect with the characters. I enjoyed their personalities and I I found the prose to be excellent- purple prose as they say.

I enjoyed “Nothing to See Here,” so I was excited to read this latest offering by Kevin Wilson. I didn't resonate with the phrase on the poster or the main character. The story was unique and well-written. I will check out more of Wilson's books in the future.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson is a coming-of-age novel of literary fiction. The book description from the publisher describes it best: “Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge—aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner—is determined to make it through yet another summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother's house and who is as 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. 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.”

Frankie and Zeke are two weirdos who gravitate to each other one summer in 1996. And once they realize they both have a creative fire inside themselves that needs kindling and tending, their lives are forever changed. Wilson excels at finding the emotional core of his characters, excavating it for the reader, and showing just how special it is. Although there is also a “romantic” connection between these two, their friendship is more than that. It's their mutual validation of their true selves—their creative desires and their mutual appreciation for each other—that bonds them together. Frankie can't get over that initial spark, just how special it was, just how something so random changed her forever, and created this writer who is putting great work out into the world as an adult.

Wilson excels at characterization and dialogue between his characters. When Zeke introduces himself to Frankie and explains that Zeke comes from Ezekiel, he says, “It's biblical. But it's my middle name. I'm trying it out this summer. Just to see how it sounds.” Wilson seems to remember in great detail what it was like to be a teenager and the magic that comes from trying anything, being open to friends trying anything, and the willingness to let others in their lives simply because they liked the same things. Many adults lose this ability to make friends easily, but Wilson posits that this is what makes being a teenager so extraordinary.

The town's reaction to their weird posters being hung everywhere is an empathetic reminder to all creative people that the world may not react to their work the way the want or expect or intend. And in the case of Frankie and Zeke, there are deadly consequences to their weird art project. It seems to drive the town crazy. Being creative is inherent to all of us, but nurturing it in each other is special. Ultimately, Wilson shows us that being weird and awkward is just part of who we all are, and when you connect with someone that validates you, then you should embrace it.

The phrase that Frankie writes for the poster becomes her mantra: “The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.” She repeats it in her head over and over and over, all the way into adulthood. What does it mean? She doesn't know exactly, but it is the impetus to who she eventually becomes: herself.

I really enjoyed this novel and I highly recommend it. I would give this book 6 stars if I could, but five will have to do.

Frankie could be any disaffected 16 year old girl who doesn't fit in with her classmates in her small Tennessee hometown. But Frankie has a secret she can never tell anyone, even the loving husband she will meet decades later: she was responsible for the Coalfield Panic of 1996. In that fateful year, Frankie meets Zeke at the town pool, and they quickly bond over a shared love of art (Frankie: writing and Zeke: drawing). Zeke is only in Coalfield for the summer, staying with his grandmother after his mother discovered proof of his father's numerous affairs. But Frankie is determined to make it a unique, unforgettable summer that she will look back at nostalgically, perhaps even as the time she met the man she would marry (but not before she is in her 50s and has many other adventures). In trying to determine what specific art statement the two should make, Frankie's writer brain supplies her with the perfect words: The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us. Zeke contributes some artwork and the piece de resistance is several spots of blood from the teens' fingers. Frankie recalls that there is a broken Xerox machine in the garage, stolen by her brothers but abandoned once they broke it. Once it is easily repaired, Frankie and Zeke make hundreds of copies of the poster and drive around town, stapling them to telephone poles, taping them to windows, and leaving them in random mailboxes. Their goal is for the posters to be seen and remembered, but their source to remain mysteriously unknown.At first, the posters accomplish their goal: they get people talking. Then things start getting weird. A lady from Zeke's grandmother's church believes the Devil is behind the posters. Two teenagers claim that they were kidnapped by tattooed men in a black van who called themselves The Fugitives, and then dropped them at an abandoned house that was covered in the posters. Frankie and Zeke are bemused by these overreactions, but secretly Frankie is thrilled that something she created is having such a major impact. It's still going to be the best summer ever. But then the situation spirals out of control. Frankie and Zeke's relationship, which remains undefined but sometimes involves kissing, takes a dangerous turn. Amidst the hysteria about the poster phenomenon, which by now is attracting tourists, it's probably inevitable that someone becomes a casualty. Now is Not the Time to Panic is an intensely personal book for Kevin Wilson, who notes that the phrase Frankie dreams up was actually coined by a friend of his, and that it somehow comforted Wilson as he went through college lonely and isolated. I'm impressed by how well he writes from the POV of a 16 year old girl who is bursting with thoughts and emotions that she doesn't fully understand. The relationship between Frankie and Zeke is complicated and unpredictable, and the questions raised by the book about art are not easily answered. Who owns a piece of art? Who is responsible for the actions it inspires? How many times can it be mimicked by others until it is no longer the responsibility of its creator? The story is bookended by chapters that take place in the present time, when reporter Mazzy Brower contacts Frankie, now living in Kentucky. Mazzy has traced the posters back to Frankie, and wants to interview her before she publishes an article about the infamous Panic. This sends Frankie on one last urgent trip back to Tennessee to finally confront and confess, but she is surprised by the responses she receives.As with Wilson's most recent book, [b:Nothing to See Here 42519313 Nothing to See Here Kevin Wilson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559591792l/42519313.SY75.jpg 66239115], the ending is a little abrupt, but this time it feels complete. Kevin Wilson's style is a little odd, occasionally funny, somewhat dreamlike, and compassionate to outsiders like Frankie. I hope they don't make a movie based on this book because it will probably be presented like a typical teenager coming of age story, when it is much more than that. ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Kept me engaged the whole time - the two young characters who hatched the idea were just trying to be artists, connect with each other on a deeper level, and have fun during summer vacation. A great satirical look at the power of viral gossip even before the internet of today and how an artistic endeavor, once out there, takes on a life of its own. Short read with Wilson's trademark sense of humor.

For my full review, visit https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/07/review-now-is-not-the-time-to-panic-by-kevin-wilson/

First of all, what a unique story. There are stories out there about teens who feel like they don't quite fit in, but how many stories are there about what happens when those teens create something that goes so viral and out of control, that life goes nuts?

Yeah, probably not too many.

It was amazing the detail that Wilson is able to go to to show what's going through these kids' minds as they create and obsess about their creation. I felt so much love for Frankie and wanted to hug her, but also had a hard time identifying with her intense obsession with the art that she creates with Zeke. Even though I had a hard time identifying with her, I was still just so captivated by her thoughts.

Also, I grew up in a small town where I could totally see something like this happening...that quick spread and takeover of the town. Small town teenager books just speak to me, since I was one of those.

Meeting Frankie as a “normal” adult with a family was so interesting and added an element to the story that I really liked. She's able to look back on everything she did as a teenager with kind of that hazy clarity that we all have about what happened during our teenage years.

At any rate, this was a book that I couldn't put down.

Many thanks to Ecco and Edelweiss for this arc! (I did beg for it shamelessly).

It astounds me how absolutely distinct Wilson's voice is. I feel like I could pick one of his paragraphs out of a line-up with no trouble, because it would be the paragraph that brings me sheer delight with a tinge of madness. His newest offering did not disappoint. For a book without much action, I found it very suspenseful. I instantly cared about Frankie and Zeke, and I hurt when they hurt. I feel like he just captures all the crazy truth of being a human, holding a secret, and making something in this world. I will always rec Kevin Wilson to anyone who gives me the slightest indication they might enjoy something eerily and humorously brilliant, and this novel is a wonderful addition that I thoroughly enjoyed and will probably read again.