by Kevin Wilson ★★★★★
My favorite book I read during the first half of the year ends the year at #4! A young woman, Lillian, has a dead-end job and is essentially going nowhere in her life. Bereft of motivation, she’s contacted by an old friend, Madison, the wife of a U.S. Senator, who desperately needs Lillian’s help. The job? Caring for the Senator's two children from his previous marriage. The catch? When the children get upset, they spontaneously combust. Wait...what?!? That’s right: they catch on fire.
It sounds ridiculous, and it is, and it’s hilarious -- when I wasn’t laughing out loud, I had a smile plastered on my face for the duration of this quick read. Lillian narrates, and her sarcasm and self-deprecating observations and witticisms are awesome. But it also has a lot of heart, and tackles more significant elements beneath the absurdity. Wilson’s juxtaposition of Madison’s own “perfect” child Timothy (who has all sorts of bizarre quirks -- he’s absolutely my favorite character in the book) with her two inherited “problem” children speaks volumes. And Lillian’s evolution from unmotivated dead-beat to someone who begins to care about someone else for the first time in her life is heartwarming to experience. I loved it.
Previous Best of 2020: #5 - Group
Next Best of 2020: #3 - Race the Sands