Thanks to the interwebs, it's not uncommon to have over 300 friends in 42 different cities, states, or countries. All it takes is a click of button for the guy or girl you spent three minutes chatting with while waiting in line at Starbucks to become part of your life forever (or at least until you "unfriend" them). But making true friends isn't as easy, especially when you're constantly moving from place to place and there's this little voice in your head saying, "Don't get too close…we won't be staying for long."
Still, in Hope Was Here, Hope's pretty good at making connections wherever she lives. She just puts herself out there despite her worries, and people tend to respond to her. She's learned you can't just sit back and wait for that to happen.
Questions About Friendship
- Hope claims that she has gotten used to leaving friends behind. Is she really being honest with herself?
- Why is it so difficult for Hope to write back to her friends in Brooklyn?
- What is it about G.T. and Pastor Hall that draws them together as good friends?
Chew on This
Hope takes a much subtler approach to making friends when she arrives in Mulhoney than she has in other places (like in Pensacola, Florida, where she yells, "Look, does anyone here want to be my friend?" (12) to a crowd of eighth-graders).
Deena's attempt to personalize the "Dear Friends" Christmas letter she sends out every year—by crossing out the word "Friends" and replacing it with "Dear Addie and my little Tulip" (10)—tells Hope that she doesn't really count much more to her mother than a friend.