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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.
Clea Simon
Despite the grim setup of our protagonist's story, this novel is one of unlikely triumph, a coming-of-age story with twists a shade darker than the average adolescent's, replete with romance and danger, life lessons, and a completely satisfying conclusion.
How can such a dark book be so full of life? Credit author Davis's subtle depiction of Faith's depression and despair, and her exuberant rise into recovery.—The Boston Globe