What do you think?
Rate this book
Wait Until I'm Dead!: A Novel of Family Secrets
Surviving family horror is one thing. Having the courage and determination to reveal it is another.
She has the courage. She has the determination. She has friends covering her back. But when unearthing one secret leads to another and another and another… can she survive the fallout? Some family members beg her to wait until they’re dead. Has one of them gone too far in a misguided effort to protect someone – or something?
If you are looking for a read with the social consciousness of a Picoult, the resonance of Sue Miller, the wit and tongue of Evanovich, the popular appeal of Anna Quindlen, and the female bonding of Thelma and Louise (without the drive off the cliff), then this book is for you.
She has the courage. She has the determination. She has friends covering her back. But when unearthing one secret leads to another and another and another… can she survive the fallout? Some family members beg her to wait until they’re dead. Has one of them gone too far in a misguided effort to protect someone – or something?
If you are looking for a read with the social consciousness of a Picoult, the resonance of Sue Miller, the wit and tongue of Evanovich, the popular appeal of Anna Quindlen, and the female bonding of Thelma and Louise (without the drive off the cliff), then this book is for you.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2014
3 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Elda Dawber
3 books4 followersI am, by profession, a clinical social worker who has been working with abused and neglected children and their families for more than forty years.
Wait Until I’m Dead! my first novel, is informed by the trauma, grit, and struggle to survive that I have witnessed in hundreds of remarkable children. This is their story. It is also the story of millions of adults who, as survivors themselves, will relate to its frank descriptions of the healing environment good therapy can provide.
Although I no longer practice as a therapist, I continue to present training workshops for social service professionals on topics related to child sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, compassion fatigue, and working with LGBTQ youth.
I live in Rhode Island, surrounded by an amazingly loving and diverse family, savoring a great mystery novel, getting together with friends old and new, and enjoying the excitement of adventure travel whenever my aging knees cooperate.
It is my hope that this novel will find its way to the people who may need it most, be that as an e-book or in paperback for those who pick books up in supermarket lines and simply love the feel of turning pages and writing comments in the margins.
Wait Until I’m Dead! my first novel, is informed by the trauma, grit, and struggle to survive that I have witnessed in hundreds of remarkable children. This is their story. It is also the story of millions of adults who, as survivors themselves, will relate to its frank descriptions of the healing environment good therapy can provide.
Although I no longer practice as a therapist, I continue to present training workshops for social service professionals on topics related to child sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, compassion fatigue, and working with LGBTQ youth.
I live in Rhode Island, surrounded by an amazingly loving and diverse family, savoring a great mystery novel, getting together with friends old and new, and enjoying the excitement of adventure travel whenever my aging knees cooperate.
It is my hope that this novel will find its way to the people who may need it most, be that as an e-book or in paperback for those who pick books up in supermarket lines and simply love the feel of turning pages and writing comments in the margins.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 2, 2018
I give this book five stars because it's an important subject nestled within the pages of a very readable novel. I edited a book about incest a few years back and this confirms the reality of everything that writer put on paper. It was so realistic, I thought it was a memoir, but found out recently that it was not. We were neighbors of the Dawbers (I was a classmate of her brother John) and it's great to read her book. I am so happy to know she is doing so well!
April 12, 2020
Once I started this novel, I could not put it down! A truly remarkable read about child abuse and survival.
December 19, 2014
A reader knows in their soul when they've read a book that is going to touch hearts the world over... Elda Dawber has done that with this novel. On so many levels, it was impossible to put down! Elda's writing style is extraordinarily... the intrigue woven throughout the story kept me up reading late into the night!! She has taken such an emotionally charged topic as child abuse and created an absolute masterpiece that touches, teaches, and opens the door to understanding and empathy. Her character development is exquisite - from her main character DJ, whose growth in strength you the reader witness (and cheer on!) throughout... to DJ's fiercely supportive best friends, who keep you smiling with their antics and their insightful dedication to her cause... from her book editor Cole (behind whom I sense another story!)... to the mixed bag of emotions that the family and especially Uncle Raymond's story stirs - do I love him, do I hate him, do I feel sorry for him(??) - that changes with the chapter!!... And even DJ's mischievous little cat with a personality all its own. Even more powerful than the page-turning story itself are the many lessons contained within. Lessons about overcoming challenges, about emotional growth, about human behavior. I've laughed and cried, felt anger then sympathy, then was moved to tears again.... and in the end walked away with a deeper understanding of the struggles that too many have to face. Special thanks to all the therapists out there who walk through these battlefields hand-in-hand with those who have suffered. And for those brave, brave victims... know that you have positive support and prayers your way. May you find that child within you and pull that small hand forward with love and compassion and strength, as DJ did. I too would like to see the day that all of this is simply fiction. Thank you Elda for sharing such a powerful story with us. I most definitely look forward to your next book!!!!
March 1, 2016
This author accomplished her goal. She wrote a real page turner about a child abuse that leaves the reader with a sense of hope that it is possible to survive and heal from the worst circumstances. It is a book that I found hard to put down, and as depressing as the subject could have been, it was really hopeful--probably because the author concentrated on the healing process, which sounds horrible in its own way, rather than the abuse.
The novel has an interesting format. It takes place over a long weekend when an author who had been abused as a child drops off her memoir with her publisher and then goes to tell her family what she has written. The action is punctuated by chapters from the memoir. The format was extremely successful, and the writing of the memoir portions I found really beautiful.
As a first time author, there are a few things that need to be worked on. For example, the dialog is very good, but it is a little too much. Conversations that would be annoying in reality are really annoying on paper--especially when they don't move the plot along. The main character's two social worker sidekicks were supposed to be comic relief, but there were a lot of times that I didn't think comic relief was either appropriate or needed. A little went further than I think that the author realized. I also hated the little thought bubbles. That said, it is hundreds of times better than a lot of first novels and it compels you to keep reading. In the end, the novel does not disappoint and I think it really will help throw light on a subject that is too often covered up.
The novel has an interesting format. It takes place over a long weekend when an author who had been abused as a child drops off her memoir with her publisher and then goes to tell her family what she has written. The action is punctuated by chapters from the memoir. The format was extremely successful, and the writing of the memoir portions I found really beautiful.
As a first time author, there are a few things that need to be worked on. For example, the dialog is very good, but it is a little too much. Conversations that would be annoying in reality are really annoying on paper--especially when they don't move the plot along. The main character's two social worker sidekicks were supposed to be comic relief, but there were a lot of times that I didn't think comic relief was either appropriate or needed. A little went further than I think that the author realized. I also hated the little thought bubbles. That said, it is hundreds of times better than a lot of first novels and it compels you to keep reading. In the end, the novel does not disappoint and I think it really will help throw light on a subject that is too often covered up.
March 19, 2016
Great book. bought this at a local book fair and finally got around to reading it. highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews