The Wishing Game

Content Warning: This section discusses child abuse, neglect, and trauma as part of described events in the narrative.

The protagonist in The Wishing Game, Lucy Hart is initially estranged from her immediate family but eventually reconnects with her sister, Angie. Originally from Maine, Lucy’s terrible relationship with Sean Parrish led her to her flee the area and settle in California. Her main objective is to officially adopt Christopher, a student at the school where she works. Her financial and living situations, however, impede her from doing so for most of the story. She works as a teacher’s aide at Redwood Elementary School and is good friends with Theresa, the classroom teacher she helps. Her working situation, however, leaves her with very few means, and she resorts to crafting scarves and selling them online to save money toward the adoption. Hugo describes her as being a “pretty girl […] [with] brown hair [falling] to her shoulders in soft waves, slightly damp from the ocean air. Bright brown eyes. Big smile, soft pink lips, and pink cheeks” (108).

Lucy experienced a neglectful childhood because her parents prioritized Angie’s health issues for their own sense of self-validation.