At 16, Hope Yancey has lived a life of constant change, both physically and emotionally, and she has learned how to adapt to new environments. Each time Hope and Addie move to a new town, Hope must make new friends and assimilate into a new school and social structure, but she always finds a way to make the best of the situation. However, she can’t stop herself from thinking about all she has missed out on by never settling in one place for too long. Leaving her signature phrase, “HOPE WAS HERE,” becomes a way to anchor herself to a place before moving on. She notes, “Whenever I leave a place I write this real small, someplace significant, just to make the statement that I’d been here there and made an impact” (3). Through Hope’s character, the author explores the effects of an unstable life on a teenager and asserts that the best way to persevere through the unpredictability of life is to build supportive relationships.

Addie is Hope’s constant, and she knows that no matter where they move, her adoptive mother will never leave her. Having been abandoned by her mother and having never met her biological father, Hope grasps for permanence in relationships.