Wishin’ and Hopin’

Standalone Novels #4
Wishin’ and Hopin’ (2009)

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Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a lighter, more nostalgic novel than Wally Lamb’s larger family dramas, centering on ten-year-old Felix Funicello during the Christmas season of 1964 in a small Connecticut town. Felix is a fifth grader at a Catholic school, trying to make sense of classmates, adults, embarrassment, and the general confusion of growing up, all while the holiday season pushes everything into louder, stranger, and more memorable form. The setup is rooted in ordinary childhood life, but it is full of comic tension and the sense that one particular Christmas is going to leave a lasting mark.

What gives the book its appeal is not suspense in the thriller sense, but voice, atmosphere, and period detail. Lamb uses Felix’s perspective to capture the awkwardness of childhood, parochial school life, family dynamics, and the pop-cultural texture of the mid-1960s. The story has often been compared in tone to warm but sharp holiday coming-of-age tales, with humor carrying much of the emotional weight even as Felix bumps into confusion, misunderstanding, and moments of real vulnerability.

At its core, Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a Christmas story about innocence, humiliation, affection, and the messy business of growing up. Rather than building around a grand plot engine, it draws readers in through Felix’s voice and the affectionate, slightly chaotic world around him, making it feel both seasonal and strongly character-driven.