History Literature / WildOrchid

* DisappearedDad: Taylor's dad moved from Saskatoon to Cody, Wyoming when she was eight, which she thinks is because of her then-undiagnosed Asperger's. Taylor coped so badly with his absence that she was put on medication for a few months. She barely heard from her father for the next few years, but when she was eleven, she started getting good grades in English and math, and he started inviting her to stay with him. Taylor resents that he only wants to be her father when she's doing well.

* DiagnosedByTheAudience: In-universe example. Taylor thinks Stanley from ''Theatre/TheBirthdayParty'' has Asperger's because he's scared of things other people aren't and behaves in ways others don't understand.

* DisappearedDad: Taylor's dad moved from Saskatoon to Cody, Wyoming when she was eight, which she thinks is because of her then-undiagnosed Asperger's. Taylor coped so badly with his absence that she was put on medication for a few months. She barely heard from her father for the next few years, but when she started getting good grades in English and math, he started inviting her to stay with him. Taylor resents that he only wants to be her father when she's doing well.

* CharacterTics: Danny keeps running his hands through his hair. Taylor hates it because he has slimy hair and she pictures him getting oil on everything he touches. Danny also tends to say exactly nine words at a time. No one notices this except Taylor, even when she points it out.

* WhatAreRecords: In ''Waiting for No One'', Sadie tells Taylor about buying records. Taylor doesn't know what records are, so Sadie explains that they're large [=CDS=].

* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: The books are set in 2002.

* PetsHomageName: In ''Waiting for No One'', Taylor names her new gerbil Creator/HaroldPinter after her favorite playwright.

* DeathByChildbirth: Luke Phoenix, a guy Taylor meets at university in ''Waiting for No One'', lost his mom to death by childbirth when he was seven. His brother Martin survived, but was deprived of oxygen for a while and developed cerebral palsy.

** Luke and his father spent the year after Martin's birth going to different hospitals. Luke missed so much school that he had to repeat a year.

* HeldBackInSchool: Taylor spent an extra year in kindergarten to work on her social skills.

* NarrativeProfanityFilter: Taylor writes her diary on a school laptop that has a lock on it to prevent her from typing swear words, so she types "!!&%$%@@@" instead.

* CelebrityResemblance:

* HasAType: All of Penny's boyfriends have been extremely similar. They have dark hair and big lips, wear golf shirts, polyester pants, dark socks, and loafers, are about Penny's height or slightly taller, smell like aftershave, have annoying CharacterTics and nasally voices, and laugh a lot. Taylor wonders why Penny even bothers switching boyfriends.

* BridalCarry: In the first book, Taylor and her mother Penny go to spend the summer at a resort on Waskesiu Lake, where Penny's boyfriend Danny Marsh works. Danny tries to carry Penny into their room at the resort, but they're the same size, so it's more of a bridal drag.

* NatureTinkling: In the first book, Taylor runs away into the woods [[spoiler:because she's so upset at having to leave her new job and go back to Saskatoon before the summer is up, as well as the destruction of her favourite alarm clock]]. She sleeps in a hollow she dug in the ground. The next morning, she pees in the bushes while trying not to think about how disgusting it is.
* PetsHomageName: In ''Waiting for No One'', Taylor names her new gerbil Creator/HaroldPinter after her favourite playwright.

* NarrativeProfanityFilter: Taylor writes her diary on a school laptop that has a lock on it to prevent her from typing swear words, so she types '!!&%$%@@@' instead.

* DisappearedDad: Taylor's dad moved from Saskatoon to Wyoming when she was eight, which she thinks is because of her then-undiagnosed Asperger's. Taylor coped so badly with his absence that she was put on medication for a few months. She barely heard from her father for the next few years, but when she started getting good grades in English and math, he started inviting her to stay with him. Taylor resents that he only wants to be her father when she's doing well.

* CelebrityResemblance: Danny looks like Creator/DannyDeVito. Taylor hopes he isn't a murderer like the one in ''Film/ThrowMommaFromTheTrain''.

* BridalCarry: In the first book, Taylor and her mother Penny go to spend the summer at a resort on Waskesiu Lake, where Penny's boyfriend Danny works. Danny tries to carry Penny into their room at the resort, but they're the same size, so it's more of a bridal drag.

* CharacterTics: Penny is dating a guy named Danny who keeps running his hands through his hair. Taylor hates it because he has slimy hair and she pictures him getting oil on everything he touches. Danny also tends to say exactly nine words at a time. No one notices this except Taylor, even when she points it out.
* DisappearedDad: Taylor's dad moved from Saskatchewan to Wyoming when she was eight, which she thinks is because of her then-undiagnosed Asperger's. Taylor coped so badly with his absence that she was put on medication for a few months. She barely heard from her father for the next few years, but when she started getting good grades in English and math, he started inviting her to stay with him. Taylor resents that he only wants to be her father when she's doing well.

* CharacterTics: Penny is dating a guy named Danny who keeps running his hands through his hair. Taylor hates it because he has slimy hair, and she imagines him getting oil on everything he touches. Danny also tends to say exactly nine words at a time. No one notices this except Taylor, even when she points it out.