Hope Was Here

Strong, hard-working, and often hard-headed, Addie supports herself and Hope with her passion for cooking. Though fiercely committed to her craft, Addie prioritizes being the best parent she can be to Hope. Taking over her niece’s care without hesitation, Addie proves herself to be a person of high character and full of compassion. However, the itinerant nature of her work is not the best situation for a teenage girl who longs to be rooted in one place where she can nurture her friendships. Addie’s no-nonsense outlook on life forces Hope to become independent and self-sufficient at a young age, something Hope appreciates, but she still acknowledges that their life is hard. However, Hope knows that even though she has friends scattered all across the nation, Addie will always be there for her. Hope especially values Addie’s presence, and when she gets depressed about her mother’s abandonment, Hope says, “Addie’s been my number-one constant” (6). Addie serves as a caring and supportive parent to Hope and is always there with a listening ear when Hope needs to share her frustrations and grief. She also sets an example of hard work and perseverance for her adoptive daughter. Hope credits her character to Addie’s influence, saying, “Everything I am I owe to this woman” (155). Though Hope wrestles with the loss of her biological family, Addie provides a unique love for her and does her best to fill the holes left in her heart. Once Addie marries G.T., Hope has the family of which she has always dreamed.

G.T. is the owner of the Welcome Stairways diner in Mulhoney, Wisconsin, and becomes a central part of the plot as he vies to win the election for mayor of the city and also as his influence transforms Hope’s life. G.T. is a character that appears larger than life, and from the first moment Hope meets him, his energy and radiant positivity have a profound effect on her. As Hope grows closer to G.T. while working in the diner, she learns that he has faced many challenges in his life including losing his wife, and now as he is battling leukemia, he also fights against political corruption in his town. Motivated by an internal ethos that few can understand, G.T. explains why he has chosen to take on Eli Millstone and his corrupt machinations, saying, “[N]o one understands how sweet life can be, how blessed every minute is, how important it is to say and do what’s right while you’ve got the time, more than a person who’s living with a short wick” (54). With his prescient understanding of the brevity of life, G.T. inspires Hope and others to face their challenges with strength and determination.

Through a campaign built on tolerance, honesty, and integrity, G.T. becomes a wise mentor to the young people in the town, who rally together to support the campaign and encourage others to join the effort. In the same way that G.T. takes pride in running his diner and builds personal relationships with his staff, G.T. desires to carry out his mayoral duties with the same care and attention to detail and ethics. Though he often delivers wise words to those around him, G.T. also knows when it’s best to remain silent. When his campaign workers encourage him to craft a rhetorically perfect speech, he states, “My Quaker roots go too deep. I’m trusting God to give me the right words when I need them” (87). Inspired by his stronger Quaker upbringing, G.T. persuades the people of Mulhoney to follow him. When he becomes mayor, he stays true to his promises, leaving the town better than he found it.

More important than his role as a diner owner or politician, G.T. becomes Hope’s leader and counselor, and eventually her father. Having few positive male role models in her life, Hope longs for a father figure to guide her through the difficult and uncertain season of her teenage years. She first respects G.T. for his management of the diner as she sees him lead with a servant’s heart, in charge but not too lofty to get his hands dirty. After walking through his grove of trees and learning about his past, Hope’s respect deepens to admiration, and she throws herself fully into helping G.T. become mayor. Once G.T. declares his love for Addie, Hope can admit what her heart desires, which is that she wants G.T. to be her father. G.T. symbolically grafts Hope into his tree grove, a powerful symbol of his love for Hope. G.T. explains, “We didn’t start from the same tree, but we’re going to grow together like we did” (173). Hope previously thought only her biological father would fill her need, but G.T. teaches her that while anyone can become a father, it takes someone special to be a dad. Though she only has him with her physically for two years, she is certain that the steadfast love he gave her will be enough to last after his death.

Eddie Braverman, who goes by his last name, is the cook at Welcome Stairways diner and becomes Hope’s love interest as the narrative progresses. When Hope first meets Braverman, he has an air of mystery and quiet strength. She judges him as moderately good-looking and describes his physical appearance that mirrors his personality: “He looked a little older than me and was the most angular person I’d ever seen—every bit of him seemed to have pointy edges” (26). The more Hope learns about Braverman, the more his name fits his character and the more she is attracted to him. Not only did he step in to help G.T. at the diner after his cancer diagnosis, but Braverman also put off college to stay home and help his ailing mother raise his twin younger sisters. When G.T. announces his intention to run for mayor, it is Braverman that invites Hope to the first rally and encourages her to join the campaign effort. Their romance blooms slowly, and Braverman’s friendship with Hope becomes a pathway for her to grow as a person. Hope learns that she and Braverman have both been through difficult seasons in life, and she admires his strength and resilience. When Millstone's thugs attack Braverman, Hope visits his home. This is a turning point in their relationship, as she learns just how much he has sacrificed to help his family. Hope and Braverman have their first date, appropriately in the diner, and share their first kiss there. Through his friendship and encouragement to step outside her comfort zone, and ultimately through his partnership, Braverman becomes a positive force in Hope’s life and another reason for her to be thankful she came to Mulhoney.