Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine: Stories

“Hands down my favorite book of the year.” -- Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of The Dutch House and Commonwealth From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang comes his first short story collection in nearly a decade, combining his signature quirkiness with his keen eye for emotional complexity to explore the fraught relationship between parents and children.“Wildfire Johnny” is the story of a man who discovers a magic razor that allows him to travel back in time. “Scroll Through the Weapons” is about a couple taking care of their underfed and almost feral nieces and nephews. “Signal to the Faithful” follows a boy as he takes a tense road trip with his priest. And “Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine,” the title story, is about a narcissistic rock star who moves back home during a rough patch. These stories all build on each other in strange and remarkable ways, showcasing Wilson’s crackling wit and big heart.Filled with imagination and humor, Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine is an exuberant collection of captivating and charmingly bizarre stories that promise to burrow their way into your heart and soul."Wildfire Johnny" will be the first project in development with “The Great” actor Nicholas Hoult and MRC Television.

Ann Patchett

“Hands down my favorite book of the year.”

the wit, the vulnerability and the cosmic sadness. And, these new stories of Wilson’s are something else; they’re funny, raw and beautiful and, for sure, they killed me.”

“There’s a lot of Salinger in Wilson’s writing

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The versatile Wilson inspires tears and laughter, and crafts memorable phrases that may unexpectedly pop up in the reader’s mind weeks later.”

Nylon Magazine

“A welcome event, seeing as how Wilson is a master of the form. . . . Within each story, Wilson shows his sharp wit and expansive empathy for the weirdest corners of the human condition.”

Booklist (starred review)

“Saying it’s as good as Tunneling to the Center of the Earth doesn’t do it justice. . . . Wilson never moralizes, much less sensationalizes, any predicament he sketches; rather he makes us feel and wonder at the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Wilson triumphantly returns to short stories. . . . Evocative, compassionate, and exquisitely composed stories about the human condition.”

Publishers WeeklyPRAISE FOR PERFECT LITTLE WORLD:

“Darkly funny. . . . [The stories] stick with the reader and show a terrible world made less so, sometimes, by human contact, even though humans were usually the problem in the first place.”

because it’s a good story and you need to know what happens. But you also keep reading because you want to know what a good family is.  Everyone wants to know that.”

“A novel you keep reading for old-fashioned reasons

People

“Wild. . . . Wilson neatly dissects the meaning of ‘family values’ in this provocative read.”

Newsday

“The sheer energy of imagination in Wilson’s work makes other writers of realistic fiction look lazy.”

Denver Post

“[A] rich tapestry of relationships that bind in unexpected ways. . . . Wilson’s deliciously breezy style reels you in and holds you tight.”

GQ

“Persistently compassionate. . . . Wilson’s best moments are funny and earnest. . . . [His] crisp language and smart plotting make Perfect Little World immensely likable and absolutely enjoyable.”

Washington Post

“Charming. . . . Wilson pulls off his sweet-and-tart tone. . . . The novel delights in the project’s Willy Wonkaesque sense of antic chaos.”

Entertainment Weekly

“Quirky. . . . Wilson’s Perfect Little World finds its bliss in the vast disconnect between people’s best intentions and where they land.”

About the Author

Kevin Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here, and The Family Fang, as well as two story collections. His work has received the Shirley Jackson Award and been selected as a Read with Jenna book club pick. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons.

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