50 pages • 1 hour read
Kevin WilsonNow Is Not the Time to Panic
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Frankie wavers between blaming herself for the damage that results from the poster and insisting she and Zeke should continue to display it. What degree of responsibility does an artist hold for the art’s reception? Consider the role of the artist’s intent in making the art versus how the art is interpreted.
Although Mr. Avery promises Frankie to keep the secret of the poster, he ultimately tells his artist friend. To what degree is he justified in revealing the secret? Further, would it have been better for Frankie had her authorship remained a secret forever? What harms and benefits result from Frankie having to confront her authorship decades later?
In an interview with National Public Radio, author Kevin Wilson reveals that parts of the novel are semi-autobiographical. In what way does knowing this impact your reading of the novel? To what degree is it appropriate or justifiable to blur the lines between fiction and nonfiction?
What role does his mental illness play in Zeke’s life? How might it be both an aid and a stumbling block for his art? What reasons might he have for keeping his experience with mental illness a secret from Frankie?
Arguably, the anonymity of the poster is instrumental in the attention it garners. Zeke cites his admiration of graffiti artists who also display their art publicly without laying claim to it. Consider the artwork of similar, real-life artists who have chosen to remain either anonymous or highly private about their work (artists might include graffiti artist Banksy, writers Thomas Pynchon and Elena Ferrante, or musicians Daft Punk). What factors might inform an artist’s decision to remain anonymous? To what extent does anonymity help or harm art?
Examine Frankie’s relationship with her mother. For what aspects of Frankie’s life does she provide a model?
Frankie’s character stresses the difference between pre-internet 1990s culture and the post-2000s ubiquity of the internet. Select an internet story, rumor, meme, or artifact and research its origin. What, in your estimation, caused the item to gain popularity or garner acclaim?
When they reunite as adults, Frankie insists Zeke “made [her] the person that [she is]” (230). To what extent do you agree with Frankie’s assertion? Is the same true for Frankie’s influence on Zeke? Why or why not?
Research a historical moral panic (such as the Salem witch trials of the 1600s, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, the Violent Media fear of the 1990s, or the challenges of Critical Race Theory in the 2020s). What aspects of the situation or practice lent itself to panic? Are any of the concerns valid ones? Why or why not? If legislation or other cultural changes resulted from the panic, assess their impact.
The novel opens in the present day with Mazzy Brower’s initial phone call to Frankie. Consider the author’s potential reasons for departing from a chronological structure. What impact does knowing of the existence of Frankie’s secret have on your reading of the rest of the novel? In what way would a linear structure change key aspects of the novel?
