Book Review #2 - Until They Bring the Streetcars Back

Until They Bring the Streetcars Back is a novel set in St. Paul in 1949, during the time that the streetcar system in the Twin Cities was scrapped in favor of busses. All of the details of the sporting events included in the book, as well as all details surrounding the streetcar system are historically accurate. Beyond these details, the novel is entirely fictional.

Cal, the hero of the text, goes on a journey of self-discovery to find that “love is a choice we make, not a feeling, or something that happens to us.” This theme is carefully shown through three separate yet connected conflict lines throughout the text; Cal chooses to show compassion for three victims who are unable to defend themselves, while the stakes and personal risk grow exponentially with each. In the beginning of the text, Cal is primarily concerned with himself and issues that deal with him directly. A careful reader will be able to recognize this when he becomes annoyed at Gretchen (the helpless girl he later saves) after she makes a plea for help that lands Cal in trouble and results in his missing football practice. At this point, Cal is incapable of empathizing with the tortured girl, and is only concerned with the trouble that he has landed in. Another example of this that occurs shortly later is when Cal comes home to find his dad in a foul mood during dinner. Nervous that his father has found out about trouble he is getting in at school, Cal is relieved when his father explains that the reason for his foul mood is that he is losing his job as a streetcar operator. Cal’s feeling of relief serves again as an indicator that Cal is selfish and incapable of empathizing. However, the more that Cal becomes involved in Gretchen’s life, the more he comes to realize the importance of love and compassion for others.

By the text’s end, Cal cares more for his family and his friends, and is becomes aware of the sometimes great divide between appearances and reality; he finds that character is more important than image, and learns who his “real” friends are after experiencing severe trials and tribulations. In all, I very much enjoyed the content of this text. The themes (love, appearance vs. reality, integrity, etc) are very relevant for an adolescent audience, and are still very engaging for an adult reader as well. The plot is interesting; the setting is vivid and descriptive. The conflict is engaging, and gives a “I want to find out what happens next” feeling at many points; I cared about Cal and (most of) his friends and family while reading this text.

Though I do enjoy much of this text, there is one detail in quality that bugs me… a lot. The female characters that West creates are very flat and unconvincing, especially Gretchen and Lola (Cal’s romantic interest). Lola’s character is very underdeveloped –more of a caricature of a popular, self-concerned teenage girl than a real character. Still, it is Gretchen’s character that is the novel’s glaring weakness. She is completely helpless, one-hundred percent dependent on Cal for survival and redemption. She often makes remarks like “I hope I don’t go crazy,” which I find very inauthentic. In the end of the novel, after suffering a lifetime of sexual and physical abuse from her father, and suffering the trauma of being forced to drown her own baby, Gretchen’s mental and physical health are completely restored when her father is sentenced to a lifetime of prison. Cal’s courageous action heals her completely. She also gets a boyfriend and transforms from an ugly, beaten down “wretch” to a confident and attractive woman – all because of Cal.

Another aspect of this text which does not work for me is that Cal’s sacrifice is cheapened in the end when Sandy tells Cal that the newspaper has printed a front page article which completely exonerates Cal. In the end, his reputation is saved, and everything that he had risked for helping Gretchen has been restored. Sacrifice, one of the principal archetypal qualities of a hero – is neglected for the sake of a “happy ending.” As a result, this novel is not nearly as memorable as it could be.