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Do you think Cal should stay after everything that has happened to him and everything that he has learned? Would you stay if you were Cal?
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I believe that Cal should stay because Trey needs him to help her feel that the world can still be normal. He is also providing her with a marketable skill in refurbishing furniture. And he needs Trey for companionship. I like that Cal brings out cake for them to eat. “When he was a kid, shouldering the weight of heavy emotions always left him hungry.” They share the cake and work on the desk together. If I were Cal, I would probably stay, too.
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I think Cal has decided to stay because he has made a commitment to Trey. Alyssa, in her advice to her dad about how to support Trey, essentially established staying as a requirement, a line in the sand so to speak. As Nancy describes, Cal recognizes what they can and do share.
Fundamentally, though, I think Cal should stay for Cal. Despite being beaten up and threatened by Mart and his gang, despite Mart’s threats and what Cal now understands about the community, I think Cal now has a sense of purpose and connection. He has redefined himself in Ardnakelty; he is no longer only an embodiment of his losses, a man divorced by his wife and a retired cop. And, I think he has another relationship to consider. He has begun to see Lena’s affection and interest and is considering responding. And besides, he has a puppy now.
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Yes, I think there is a strong sense of responsibility towards Trey and her need for stability and guidance. I also agree with you Jane, with respect to Cal’s new sense of purpose and his growth from his past life, mindset and circumstances in America. He lost his code back home, and himself with it, and he is rediscovering, redefining and relearning in Ireland.
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I agree with you all, Cal has found a sense of purpose and belonging in his new home. Cal doesn’t take responsibility lightly. It’s why he carefully weighs whether or not to take a puppy. That he picks a puppy for Trey and for himself at the end of the novel indicates he has chosen to take responsibility for their care. I also think that having accepted to help Trey find her brother, he shoulders the responsibility of the consequences. Although he asks his daughter what to do, I think fundamentally he knows he was already committed to looking after Trey. He has, in essence, brokered a contract between Mart and Trey and wagered that she will not break it. So I also think, in part, he stays to ensure her safety and keep the peace. But I also think he realizes he wants to stay in Ireland for himself.
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I also agree that Cal should stay. If he were to list the pros and cons, there would be far more positives than negatives. If he left, where could he go that would give him the same sense of purpose? He’s made serious ties here with Trey, a person who needs him and will benefit from his support and protection. He’s not really needed anywhere else in the world more than he is here, and he’s enjoying his life in general (when he’s not getting beaten up and solving murders, that is). He has something to look forward to — helping Trey navigate into maturity; forging stronger friendship with Lena, perhaps; working on building a home that suits him, creative work that satisfies him — and of course, that puppy. Taking him on was a declaration of intent; a commitment to stay. The negatives are that he may still have to navigate murky areas of home-grown justice in the village, and could make dangerous enemies– but he would be up for that challenge, as he’s already proven. Another negative is that he is far from his daughter, but she seems to have found her own balance and is doing well; she doesn’t need him like Trey does at this point. I don’t think that Cal will be tiring of this life he’s chosen any time soon, and it may give him peace and satisfaction that he could find nowhere else.
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Everyone has expressed quite wonderfully what I would have said. Cal has a new beginning he was hoping for with unexpected emotional ties with Trey and possibly with Lena. It’s interesting that he has the bonds with the women in the village (I might even include Shiela Reddy in there because he wants to help her too) but is perhaps even more of an outsider with the men than at the start, given his friendship with Mart is fractured. So the danger still lurks but he is finding his happiness again. (I do have to read the Hunter as I’m very curious to find out how his life unfolds.)
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Agree with you all, again, and thank you all for enriching my appreciation for this brilliant book!
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