Now Is Not The Time To Panic

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 is as lonely and awkward as she is.

As romantic and creative sparks begin to fly, Frankie and Zeke make an unsigned poster that becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it. Copies of their work are everywhere in town, and rumours start to fly about who might be behind the ubiquitous posters- Satanists? Kidnappers? Soon, the mystery has dangerous repercussions that spread further afield, and the art that brought Frankie and Zeke together now threatens to tear them apart.

Twenty years later, Frances Eleanor Budge-famous author, mother to a wonderful daughter, wife to a loving husband-gets a call that threatens to upend everything- a journalist asks if Frances might know something about the Coalfield Panic of 1996. Could Frances' past destroy the life she has 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.

“'Blackly funny and surprisingly sweet...If you're looking for an addictive and fun book to keep you sitting by the pool all day long, this may be just what you need.'”

‘Just like all of Kevin’s books, Now is Not the Time to Panic is totally its own thing: mysterious, hypnotic, wonderful. I love following his brain, wherever it goes.’ Emma Straub
‘This is a wildly funny, wonderfully sincere—and a little bit devastating—story of art, our limitless past, future nostalgia and all those perfectly imperfect ways we continually come of age. Kevin Wilson’s books are so full of heart. They’re utterly indelible.’ Courtney Summers, author of Sadie
‘Wilson has developed a story that is a precise capture of adolescence and of two vibrant teens whose everyday dilemmas, weaknesses, and triumphs are utterly endearing. If the denouement feels a little pat, it is more than made up for by the crisp dialog and the zipping story line that takes us there.’ Booklist (starred review)
‘A delightful story…Ripe with wisdom about what art means in the modern age…[A] touching time capsule of youth in the ’90s.’ Publishers Weekly
‘[An] emotionally acute peek into the inner life of the artist…A warm, witty two-hander.’ Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
‘Full of compassion and gentle humour, this is a wise and winning novel about how youth haunts and defines us.’ Esquire
‘[Kevin Wilson] returns with another quirky offering.’ Time
‘Wilson writes that rare kind of fiction: weird, bighearted, sui generis literature that is eagerly awaited by critics and readers alike.’ Publishers Weekly
‘Wilson has a gift...Wilson’s stories manage to be unexpected, totally new, and yet gets to the heart of human experience in the most familiar way.’ LitHub
‘Now Is Not the Time to Panic has the feel of a long-gestating work: a novel about creativity and childhood that seems as though its author has been mulling it since his own youth…Coloured by Wilson’s appealingly offbeat prose, so that even the most straightforward coming-of-age moments have a funky freshness.’ Vogue
‘Kevin Wilson is a master of creating edgy characters with endearing peculiarities and putting them in unique situations in witty stories that ultimately prove compassionate and deeply human.’ Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘Another irreverent tale of wanton young people, hidden histories, and all the ways our former selves can come back to haunt us, presented in a pitch-perfect blend of delightful, improbable plotting and wildly humanist prose.’ Entertainment Weekly
‘I tore through it in fewer than twenty-four hours.’ Garden & Gun
‘Wilson…keeps getting better.’ Los Angeles Times
‘Will make you grin from ear to ear…There’s so much to love about this book…but the best part is reading about two kids who are having the time of their lives. Their sense of adventure, joyous obsessions and life-altering friendship is infectious.’ Amazon Best Books of the Month
‘Heartbreakingly honest…Wilson so eloquently captures that unique time in one’s life when one small gesture of artistic self-expression…really does have the power to change the world, or at least your perception of it.’ Datebook
‘Heartbreakingly honest…with an “us against the world” feel and punk-rock spirit.’ San Francisco Chronicle
‘The gold Wilson sought has been found.’ Good Morning America
‘An exuberant novel about the transformative power of art.’ Greenville Journal
‘The mind of Kevin Wilson is a very interesting place to visit.’ Nashville Scene
‘If you have any interest in joy-reading, then run out today and pick up Now Is Not the Time to Panic, the latest glorious novel from Kevin Wilson…Frankie’s voice is so clear and compelling, her inner life so well-drawn…There is immense gratification in the final quarter of the novel.’ Oprah Daily
‘[A] tender, darkly comic tale about a pair of youthful misfits empowered by a clandestine act of subversive art-making…[Wilson writes] evocative tragicomic stories about family, friendship, love and art that end on a note of cautious optimism. And honestly, isn’t that the best we can reasonably hope for in life?’ Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘A buoyant tribute to small-town life, a book about creativity and creation.’ New York Times
‘A seductive, highly imaginative story that testifies to the transformative power of art.’ Associated Press
‘Kevin Wilson once again deploys his customary humorous, off-centre storytelling to artfully delve into deeper matters…Wilson’s deceptively transparent prose, with a touch of humour, a dash of satire and a good bit of insight, carries the reader to a humane and satisfying conclusion.’ BookPage (starred review)
‘A buoyant tribute to small-town life…Wilson adeptly evokes what it was like to be a creative kid in the 1990s…A charming story.’ New York Times
‘[Wilson] spins tales so droll and clever and casually surreal, it feels less like reading than falling in with a delightfully subversive new friend…Now Is Not the Time to Panic [is] the tender offbeat tale of two teen misfits.’ Entertainment Weekly
‘I was so engrossed by the specific and singular world Wilson created that I read the book in one sitting.’ Believer
‘A book destined to become a cult classic, if not just a classic, period…Never ceases to entertain. Frankie and Zeke are wholly original characters, their lives painful and true, and while this is a novel you can read in a single sitting, it is best devoured slowly, a treat for the heart and mind.’ USA Today
‘Kevin’s book will hit you over the head with humanity…Will make you feel all the great things.’ Today
‘Wilson’s latest novel shows us again that he is at the top of his game, infusing this coming-of-age tale with his trademark sharp wit and deep understanding of love and the uncertainty that comes with fading youth.’ Chicago Review of Books
‘A witty and charming coming-of-age story.’ BookTrib
‘[A] tender, moving novel by an author who understands how truly bizarre ordinary life is.’ Washington Post
‘Amazing premise…A great contemporary art novel.’ RNZ Nine to Noon
‘Gorgeous... might just break your heart.’ Glamour (UK)
‘A big-hearted nerdy romance that evolves into a more ambivalent meditation on the power of art.’ Age
‘Now is Not the Time to Panic is a tender and humorous coming-of-age novel that explores the trials, pain and wonder of adolescence and artistic pursuit.’ ABC Arts
‘The great strength of this book lies in Frankie and Zeke and their relationship. A book to read and reflect on.’ Good Reading
‘Utterly inventive and outward-looking…Wilson’s fiction will have you laughing so much that you’re not prepared for the gut punch that follows.’ Atlantic
‘[There’s] real delight to be found in Now Is Not the Time to Panic…To steal from [Jenny] Holzer, “In a dream I read a Kevin Wilson novel, and I was filled with joy.”’ Boston Globe
‘Readers can always count on Kevin Wilson to introduce them to memorable characters, and his new novel is one of the best yet, an imaginative journey filled with an unforgettable cast of small-town personalities.’ Southern Living
‘A sweet story about self-discovery, growth, secrets, mistakes and the radical, transformative power of art…Wilson perfectly evokes how complicated it was to navigate culture before the internet.’ Michaela McGuire, Melbourne Writers Festival
‘While this is a novel you can read in a single sitting, it is best devoured slowly, a treat for the heart and mind.’ USA Today
‘[A] warm-hearted and melancholy novel…Now Is Not the Time to Panic is a terrific novel about art, adolescence, and the ways only your best friend can hurt you.’ Vox
‘Wilson’s novel about art, friendship, loyalty and so many other things still has me reeling. You will love these rebel teens so much you’ll be skinny with hunger.’ Washington Post Book Club
‘Completely original…I’ve never read anything quite like this book, which is saying a lot! I loved the unique premise, all of the characters, and how Wilson writes with thoughtfulness, fun, speed, and humour. With this book, he’s cemented himself as one of my favourite authors.’ Scary Mommy
‘Wilson masterfully explores the capacity of art to transcend the vision of its creators…Now is Not the Time to Panic is a dynamic, deftly crafted, and indelibly offbeat coming-of-multiple-ages story.’ Post and Courier
‘[A] delightful coming-of-age novel.’ West Australian
‘Captur[ing]…wonder and magical thinking.’ ABC Radio National Book Show
‘I just read Now Is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson, and found his adolescent characters original and heartbreaking.’ Judy Blume, New York Times
‘Apart from having one of the best titles I’ve seen all year, this is a great short novel about two bored teenagers, who fancy themselves as artists. Bored, they mass produce a poster of some of their work and stick all over their small town—causing a panic amongst the grown-ups. Set in a small US town, before the internet, this is like a local pre-web meme gone viral as locals become desperate to figure out what the poster actually means.’ Edinburgh Bookshop

Kevin Wilson is the author of the New York Times bestseller Nothing to See Here, as well as the novels The Family Fang and Perfect Little World, and the short-story collections Tunneling to the Center of the Earth and Baby You’re Gonna Be Mine. He lives with his family in Sewanee, Tennessee, where he is an associate professor in the English department at Sewanee: The University of the South.

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