Hope and Other Punchlines: Plot Summary

Abbi Hope Goldstein is desperate to have a normal summer. It shouldn’t be so much to ask, really, for your average teenager. Unfortunately, Abbi isn’t exactly your average teenager. She has lived her entire life in the shadow of September 11, when she was captured in a photo. Abbi, one year old, is wearing a birthday crown in the photo and holding a red balloon. In the background, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.

The photo of ‘Baby Hope’ has become iconic, and Abbi is frequently recognised by complete strangers who want to talk to her about the tragedy. In an effort to gain some anonymity, she has decided to spend the summer as a counsellor at Knight’s Day Camp, two towns away. Where she runs into Noah Stern, who has his own link to 9/11, and a reason to want the help of Baby Hope.

My Thoughts

Hope and Other Punchlines, by Julie Buxbaum, is about the stories we tell ourselves, and each other. It’s about friendship, love and trust. It’s a sweet book, and I found myself pretty deeply invested in it by the time we got to the end.

For another great YA read, check out Frankly in Love!

I liked the story’s protagonists, for the most part. Noah begins by blackmailing Abbi to get her to cooperate with him, which is obviously not ideal. After that though, the two characters come to an understanding, and they seem like a good match for each other. They’re maybe not the most interesting main characters I’ve come across, but they’re compelling enough, and often quite sweet.

Abbi has complicated feelings about being Baby Hope. She obviously hates it, in many ways, but she’s got a deep sense of what it means to people to have her as a symbol. She’s been told this story about herself her entire life, but it’s never felt like it quite fits. Noah, on the other hand, has been telling himself a story all his life, and wants very much to prove it true.

Noah’s best friend, Jack, was fun as well. Possibly more fun than Noah, actually. He had a lot of personality, and I enjoyed the way he and Noah played off each other. When Cat was absorbed into their friendship, there were some entertaining and sweet scenes with the three of them together.

The downsides of Hope and other Punchlines

There’s a slightly strange plotline involving Abbi’s ex-best friend, Cat. It’s just background for the most part, although it comes to the fore once or twice throughout the story. Abbi is upset because Cat drifted away from her, finding a new group, and wasn’t entirely considerate in the way she let their friendship go. I understand why Abbi feels hurt, but there’s a distinct lack of sympathy for Cat in most of the narrative. It feels strange, considering the nuance with which other characters are portrayed.

The book isn’t super funny, despite (or perhaps because of) Noah’s obsession with comedy. I think Noah’s interest in jokes creates a weakness in the book, it puts too much focus on a humour that I think is pretty lacking on the page. It doesn’t need to be a funny book! It’s got lots of other things going for it. So, I wish it had just let the comedy alone, really.

Summary

Hope and Other Punchlines is an engaging book, sweet and fun, even if some of the comedy misses the mark a bit. I’d recommend fans of Holly Bourne check out this book, and anybody who enjoys a thoughtful YA read!