Although hope is in short supply for some characters in the novel, it is the force that keeps Kek going in a new and confusing country. Kek has fled from violence and upheaval in his native Sudan and traveled alone to the United States. Kek’s father and older brother were killed, and Kek was forced to leave his mother behind to save his own life. Despite all this, Kek remains positive and believes he will reunite with his mother because “[h]oping isn’t foolish […] / If I can make it all the way here, / then anything can happen” (44). In this quote, Kek explains to Ganwar that if someone like Kek can make it from Sudan to America, then anything is possible. While others may dismiss Kek’s hope as naïve or idealistic, Kek has done the impossible, and this proof lends logic to his optimism.

Hope is a necessity for Kek, especially in the times when he is surrounded by negativity and begins to doubt himself. For example, Kek learns that the Refugee Resettlement Center is actively looking for his mother in other refugee camps in Africa, but he is told that the chances of finding her are slim.