Wonder When You'll Miss Me: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author) "At school I was careful not to look like I watched everything, but I did..." (more)
Key Phrases: costume trailer, barker boy, fat girl, Tony Giobambera, Andrea Dutton, Jim Brewer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Feeling invisible is only one problem for 16-year-old Faith Duckle, the engaging protagonist of Davis's auspicious debut novel (an expansion of her short story "Faith, or Tips for the Successful Young Lady" from her critically acclaimed short story collection, Circling the Drain). The ironically named Faith is also running from a brutal assault that led to a suicide attempt and a stay in rehab, where she shed 48 pounds but not her despair. When she returns to school, nobody seems to notice, except her imaginary "fat girl" alter ego who reminds her, "There are all kinds of anger.... Some kinds are just more useful than others," and convinces her to exact bloody vengeance on the boy who was a key participant in the violence. Fleeing the aftermath of her angry attack, she joins the small traveling Fartlesworth Circus, where she cleans up after elephants and horses and gradually detaches herself from the haunting fat girl who delights in dogging her every move. Her new identity, Annabelle Cabinet, revels in the spangled sawdust world of performing acrobats, animals, clowns and freaks, and begins to heal. Davis revitalizes the moth-eaten circus motif with her tensely lyrical prose and full-bodied characterizations. Faith/Annabelle's gradual path to happiness among the "misfits" of the big top leads her, and readers, on a fast-paced, well-documented (Davis actually toured with a circus in 1999) adventure toward self-acceptance. 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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Faith was a fat girl, but after a suicide attempt keeps her hospitalized for seven months, she returns to school thinner, more attractive, and optimistic that things will get better. Not only do they stay the same, but the "fat girl" inside her is still serving as a gluttonous, pessimistic shadow and vocal instigator, trying to persuade her to skip town and to take revenge on her enemies. The fat girl finally gets her way, and Faith joins the circus, hoping to end up with her new friend Charlie. He is nowhere to be found, but Faith, now calling herself Annabelle, finds a home with the ragtag group of performers. Much of the story is heartbreaking in its depiction of teen cruelty, and of the protagonist's efforts to maintain her sanity in spite of hardships. Davis's writing is at its finest when the protagonist is struggling through the constant trials with her distant mother, her ineffectual teachers, and her one true friend's suicide. Girls like Faith, and the reason for her suicide attempt, are well known in both fact and fiction. The author succeeds in making this character unique, with flaws that teens will relate to. Readers will root for Faith, and the heartwarming conclusion will leave them satisfied.
Jamie Watson, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060534265
• ISBN-13: 978-0060534264
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #488,291 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From Bookreporter.com, March 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Wonder When You'll Miss Me (Hardcover)

"Davis has created a lucid, compelling page-turner that defies categorization.
This is a stunning novel and Faith's story is uncomfortably tragic, brutally
honest and beautifully rendered. It is about pain and rebirth and the reality
behind all illusions. WONDER WHEN YOU'LL MISS ME is, quite simply, a great
novel."
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss "Wonder When You'll Miss Me", March 11, 2003

By	Lauren Baratz-Logsted (Danbury, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wonder When You'll Miss Me (Hardcover)

In this brave and honest novel, Amanda Davis exposes the underbelly of the all-American obsession with popularity. Faith Buckle, overweight and lacking in high-school popularity, pays a horrible price for that crime; this will eventually land her in the circus. In less sure hands, this material could devolve into the land of 'just another American girl interrupted story.' But that's not what happens here. Ms. Davis's work is so consistently sensitive, funny, sad and occasionally horrifying - always nailing the appropriate emotional mark - that readers will read this book rooting for its unusual heroine, while at the same time rooting for the author to write more books.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tragic Lose - She's A Wonderful Writer, April 6, 2003

By	Caroline P. Hampton (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wonder When You'll Miss Me (Hardcover)

I loved "Wonder When You'll Miss Me" by Amanda Davis. I was heading to Amazon.com to write a rave review of this debut novel from a wonderfully clever and talented author who has a great career ahead of her. I was going to say how I was looking forward to next book. Sadly, there won't be another book. I was shocked and saddened to read that Ms. Davis was tragically killed (along with her parents) in a plane crash in March 2003.

Luckily, we all had the opportunity to read this amazing book before her untimely death. Her characters are well rounded, deep and fully engaged. Her plot and story is well crafted and really interesting. I found her work really interesting and couldn't put it down. I loved it.