Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

 genre: fiction

The nothing that happens in Coalfield, Tennessee is the oppressive kind, the kind that makes 16 year old Frankie feel like she could literally fade away into that nothingness before ever really living. But when Zeke moves into town, with his sketchpads and big ideas, not only does Frankie’s summer shift, but her whole life trajectory takes a spin. They have an idea, see, to make something beautiful, the kind of art that can touch you and make you FEEL something. So they do. And they share it and in the sharing, it slides out of their control.  Years later, this shared thing that seemed safely hidden will come back to Frankie in a way she couldn't have imagined.

There was so much I loved about this. I think particularly that it takes place to a high schooler just after my own high school years and vibe feels so right is a part of it.  It really was so isolating to live in a world where, in a small town, that small town was all there was. The Internet has made our world tiny in a way that I think sometimes we forget about what it really used to be like, being so NOT connected.   And the idea of something “viral “happening before the Internet is such a very, very intriguing idea. I loved how it played out. I liked Frankie’s arc and her growing up, I liked how this one summer gave her a whole new story about herself. It was quirky, unpredictable and yet totally believable. I really enjoyed the ride.