Author Kevin Wilson is known for throwing quirky characters into absurd situations. With his newest novel, Run for the Hills, we get four half-siblings — previous strangers to one another — who set off on a road trip across America to find the father who abandoned them.
Madeline Hill is shutting down the farmstand at her popular organic farm in Tennessee when her half-brother Reuben shows up in a rented PT Cruiser. The middle-aged crime writer awkwardly introduces himself and then invites Mad along on his quest to find their deadbeat dad and get him to explain why he keeps having kids and disappearing. In Oklahoma, they pick up Pep, a college basketball star. In Utah, they find Tom, an 11-year-old fledgling filmmaker. And they all head to California for some long-awaited answers.
Like Wilson’s previous novels, Run for the Hills offers stellar writing, clever humor and offbeat family dynamics. But what starts out super fun starts to drag along the way, and an intriguing premise culminates in a predictable and somewhat disappointing finish.
There’s still plenty to love about this novel, including a comical scene involving the University of Oklahoma’s former “Top Daug” mascot and several heartfelt moments among the siblings. But it doesn’t have that laugh-out-loud, shake-your-head dark comedy that readers might remember from Nothing to See Here or Now Is Not the Time to Panic. Wilson remains the King of Quirk. This particular road trip novel just wanders a little too far off his proven path.
