Jenna Bush Hager has unveiled the latest pick for her popular book club: Kevin Wilson’s comic novel Nothing to See Here.
Hager made the announcement on the Today show, the home of her club, on Monday. “The theme is definitely on family and being yourself and finding who you are, even if what you are seems strange to the rest of the world,” the former first daughter said.
Wilson’s novel follows a woman who takes a job looking after her childhood friend’s stepchildren, two twins with the charming habit of spontaneously combusting when their tempers flare. (Hager is, of course, herself a twin, but presumably does not catch on fire when angry.) A reviewer for Kirkus called the book “a funny and touching fable about love for kids, even the ones on fire.”
“It’s short and beautiful,” Hager said. “My favorite thing that Kevin Wilson did was that every word mattered. You will read it and think, how could somebody write like this.”
Wilson said the novel was inspired by his own experiences as a father.
“I started thinking about, ‘Oh, well, what would it be like if you had to take care of a kid who actually burst into flames.’ The novel just kind of spiraled out of that,” he said.
Hager’s selection is the latest in a long line of literary novels she’s picked for her club. Previous books she’s featured have included Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, Nicole Dennis-Benn’s Patsy and Cara Wall’s The Dearly Beloved.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
