Run for the Hills - by Kevin Wilson

About the Book

"Ever since her dad left them twenty years ago, it's just been Madeline Hill and her mom on their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee. While she sometimes admits it's a bit lonely, and a less exciting a life than she imagined for herself, it's mostly OK. Mostly. Then one day, Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and informs Madeline that he believes she's his half-sister. Reuben--left behind by their dad thirty years ago--has hired a detective to track down their father and a string of other half siblings. And he wants Mad to leave her home and join him for the craziest kind of road trip imaginable to find them all. As Mad and Rube--and eventually the others--share stories of their father, who behaved so differently in each life he created, they begin to question what he was looking for with each new incarnation"--

Book Synopsis

"A touching and generous romp of a novel . . . Wilson makes a bold and convincing case that every real family is one you have to find and, at some point, choose, even if it's the one you're born into." -- New York Times Book Review

An unexpected road trip across America brings a family together, in this raucous and moving new novel from the bestselling author of Nothing to See Here.

Ever since her dad left them twenty years ago, it's been just Madeline Hill and her mom on their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee. While it's a bit lonely, she sometimes admits, and a less exciting life than what she imagined for herself, it's mostly okay. Mostly.

Then one day Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and informs Madeline that he believes she's his half sister. Reuben--left behind by their dad thirty years ago--has hired a detective to track down their father and a string of other half siblings. And he wants Mad to leave her home and join him for the craziest kind of road trip imaginable to find them all.

As Mad and Rube--and eventually the others--share stories of their father, who behaved so differently in each life he created, they begin to question what he was looking for with every new incarnation. Who are they to one another? What kind of man will they find? And how will these new relationships change Mad's previously solitary life on the farm?

Infused with deadpan wit, zany hijinks, and enormous heart, Run for the Hills is a sibling story like no other--a novel about a family forged under the most unlikely circumstances and united by hope in an unknown future.

Review Quotes

"Run for the Hills is a touching and generous romp of a novel, a sort of lighthearted family heist in which the anticipated grift is simply a meeting (or confrontation?) with the characters' father. The results of their quest are, frankly, beside the point. In bringing the siblings together -- with or without the man who helped create them -- Wilson makes a bold and convincing case that every real family is one you have to find and, at some point, choose, even if it's the one you're born into." -- Bobby Finger, New York Times Book Review ("Editors' Choice")

"Like Wilson's other fiction including Nothing to See Here and Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Run for the Hills gently tugs at the heart." -- Annabel Gutterman, TIME

"Here's how Maureen Corrigan, longtime book critic for Fresh Air, once neatly summed up Wilson's 'sweet-tart' fiction: 'He'll start off with these goofy, almost sitcom-type contrived premises and from there create stories that knock you out with the force of their emotional truth.' That description remains apt here. His newest novel features a literally found family of half-siblings, on a road trip to track down the deadbeat dad who fathered them all -- and abandoned them each in turn." -- NPR.org

"Unbelievably adorable sibling road trip . . . Real feeling and believable characters? Not problem. Kevin Wilson continues to do whimsy with as much heart as any writer ever has." -- Boston Globe

"Rich with heart, humor and insight into what makes a family." -- People

"Wilson's a master of creating offbeat relationships, and this story of family, mystery, and hope against all odds will surely rank among his best." -- Town & Country

"[Wilson's] sweetest novel . . . Funny in a way that hurts just a little . . . Run for the Hills is partly about what children inherit from their parents. But as the Hills get to know each other, the focus shifts from nature to nurture. Each of the offspring has learned something important from their father, from Pep's basketball skills to Mad's gift for growing things to Rube's skill as a mystery writer. But all have surpassed their jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none dad." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Wilson is a master of writing about family. . . Run for the Hills spins an engaging yarn about loss and how it can sometimes lead to fortune. And it does so with a lot of humor." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"In Kevin Wilson's poignant, comic stories, the theatricality of family life often takes center stage. . . . This is Wilson's special terrain, that sweet hurt where love and disappointment intersect. . . a slim, winsome story." -- Washington Post Book Review

"Fans will pounce on the latest from this beloved author of offbeat family fiction." -- Booklist

"Wilson's living narrative is a combination road novel, domestic drama and snapshot of rural America. Amid the seemingly carefree attitudes are profound questions. What would lead a man to abandon not just one family, but several? And what would it feel like to discover that the only family you've ever known is not the only family you have? Run for the Hills raises these questions and more with endearing aplomb. Forgiveness is difficult, sometimes, but these newly introduced siblings give it their best in this colorful novel." -- BookPage

"Run for the Hills is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, with just the right balance of humour and emotional depth. It reminded me that healing doesn't always come from the person who hurt you, but sometimes, it also comes from people who were hurt just like you, and those who share the pain with you." -- Booktrib

"Stellar writing, clever humor and offbeat family dynamics. . . . Wilson remains the King of Quirk." -- KMUW

"A poignant meditation on what it means to be part of a family and the ways its members may not only disappoint, but surprise, support, and change one another." -- Chapter 16

What's more American than a Hollywood nepo baby landing a podcast deal? A chaotic, cross-country road trip. And in Run for the Hills, this one's anything but typical. It kicks off when Reuben Hill...shows up unannounced at a Tennessee farm to tell Madeline "Mad" Hill that he thinks she's his long-lost sister. Reuben's already hired a PI to track down their dad -- who disappeared 30 years ago -- plus two other half-siblings. So Mad and Rube hit the road and along the way, their impromptu family reunion gets bigger, emotional baggage gets unpacked, and yes, hijinks absolutely ensue. -- The Skimm