Synopses & Reviews
Follow sixteen-year-old Faith Duckle in this audacious and darkly funny tale as she moves through the difficult journey from the schoolyard to the harlequin world of the circus. At fifteen, Faith was lured under the bleachers by a bunch of boys at a football game and raped. Now, almost a year later, a newly thin Faith is haunted by her past, and by the cruel, flippant ghost of her formerly fat self, who is bent on revenge.
This quest for retribution eventually compels Faith to violence, forcing her to flee home in search of the only friend she has a troubled but caring busboy named Charlie, who is the lover of a sideshow performer and to tumble into the colorful, transient world of the circus. But as she leaves her old life behind and dives headfirst into a world of adult passions and dreams, mercurial allegiances, and exhilarating self-discovery (while paying considerable dues with a shovel in the elephant tent), Faith ultimately begins to discover who she is and all that she is capable of.
Wonder When You'll Miss Me combines tender wit with page-turning energy and characters as original as they are memorable. By turns harrowing and poignant, lyrical and hilarious, it is a vibrant, compelling novel readers won't forget.
Review
"Heartbreaking if not flawless novel debut....The story rambles somewhat and takes time to cohere, but then it manages to express the unutterable anguish of a child cast into an adult world of hatreds and cruelties that ought to be fatal but walk away intact." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Davis revitalizes the moth-eaten circus motif with her tensely lyrical prose and full-bodied characterizations....While some readers may be dissatisfied with an ambiguous ending that eschews a sentimental resolution to Faith's metamorphosis, Davis remains true to her character's emerging independence, confidence and faith in the future." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Amanda Davis writes prose that is precise, elegant and strong, and she tells a story that is at once harrowing and, strangely, filled with adventure." Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Review
"This is a marvelous modern-girl odyssey, dark and comic and poignant and smart, that shows off Davis' wonderful prose and the freshness and wisdom of her wild storytelling." Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief
Review
"Amanda Davis has a wicked and inspired imagination, and her first novel, Wonder When You'll Miss Me, is just plain fabulous. This is a story full of extraordinary events told with extraordinary skill." Brady Udall, author of The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint
Review
"An utterly unique take on what it means to run away and join a circus. Filled with a marvelous array of characters, this is the story of recovery from trauma, and the triumph in finally integrating the soul and the self." Elizabeth Strout, author of Amy and Isabelle
Review
"I couldn't put it down...I LOVED it. I don't like anything, either. It's brilliant, sad, funny, amazing, original and a complete and utter page turner." Kate Christensen, author of Jeremy Thrane and In the Drink
Review
"This book is a circus Pygmalion a spectacular tale of injury, heartbreak, and metamorphosis. Our young heroine -- our fair lady -- exists in a strange chrysalis of her own invention, until she is ready to wake from her dreams and her nightmares. Amanda Davis's prose is gorgeous and lucid, and the pace of her story-telling is one of ever-increasing emotional velocity, causing the reader to fall in love with her characters, and with her book." Jonathan Ames, author of The Extra Man
Review
"With a whirl of images, plunges of despair and leaps of hope, this book is the best sort of literary amusement park ride a carrousel for the senses, and a roller coaster ride for the heart." Judy Budnitz, author of If I Told You Once and Flying Leap
Review
"I loved Wonder When Youll Miss Me the voice is so engaging and heartbreaking and true that I simply took hold of the reins of story and held on. This is such a good book." Susan Richards Shreve, author of Plum & Jaggers
Synopsis
Follow sixteen-year-old Faith Duckle in this audacious and darkly funny tale as she moves through the difficult journey from the schoolyard to the harlequin world of the circus. At fifteen, Faith was lured under the bleachers by a bunch of boys at a football game and raped. Now, almost a year later, a newly thin Faith is haunted by her past, and by the cruel, flippant ghost of her formerly fat self, who is bent on revenge.
This quest for retribution eventually compels Faith to violence, forcing her to flee home in search of the only friend she has -- a troubled but caring busboy named Charlie, who is the lover of a sideshow performer -- and to tumble into the colorful, transient world of the circus. But as she leaves her old life behind and dives headfirst into a world of adult passions and dreams, mercurial allegiances, and exhilarating self-discovery (while paying considerable dues with a shovel in the elephant tent), Faith ultimately begins to discover who she is and all that she is capable of.Wonder When You'll Miss Me combines tender wit with page-turning energy and characters as original as they are memorable. By turns harrowing and poignant, lyrical and hilarious, it is a vibrant, compelling novel readers won't forget.
Synopsis
At fifteen, Faith Duckle was lured under the bleachers by a bunch of boys and brutally attacked. Now, almost a year later, a newly thin Faith is haunted by her past and by the flippant, cruel ghost of her formerly fat self who is bent on revenge.
Faith eventually turns to violence for retribution, forcing her to flee home in search of the only friend she has -- a troubled but caring busboy who is the lover of a sideshow performer -- and to tumble into the colorful, transient world of the circus. But as she dives headfirst into a world of adult passions and dreams, mercurial allegiances, and exhilarating self-discovery, Faith must also face some disturbing truths about herself and the world around her.
Synopsis
At 16, Faith Duckle hasn't had an easy life. After being attacked at a Homecoming game the year before, she attempted suicide and was briefly hospitalized, losing 58 pounds in the process. Though she has returned to normal life and school lighter in body, she is haunted by "the Fat Girl," a hideously distorted version of her former self whom only Faith can see.
Incited by the events of the past, Faith exacts retribution on those who have hurt her an act of vengeance and outrage that drives her away from all she knows and leads her to a new life, a new identity, and a new home with a traveling circus. There, in the arms of other "misfits," Faith will learn the meaning of friendship and trust, a lesson that will change her in surprising ways.
About the Author
Amanda Davis was raised in Durham, North Carolina, and taught in the MFA program at Mills College. Davis is the author of Circling the Drain, a collection of short stories. Her fiction, nonfiction, and reviews have been published in Esquire, Bookforum, Black Book, McSweeney's, Poets and Writers, Story, Seventeen, and Best New American Voices 2001. Wonder When You'll Miss Me is her first novel. She passed away in March, 2003.