The Potter of Charles Street

"The Potter of Charles Street" is a children's novel by American author Jean Harmeling.

Plot summary

The story takes place during the Vietnam War and is set on "the island", a nameless island north of Boston. In the first part the reader meets Eve, the narrator. She is a twelve-year-old who tries to believe in God, but finds it very difficult to do so. Her father has been injured in World War II and is unable to display any affection; her mother had a hard home life and eloped with Eve's father at sixteen; her fifteen-year-old sister Chantel has several boyfriends and thinks that Eve is "weird" for having a close but unromantic friendship with Bobby, a boy in her class. Bobby's father is killed in Vietnam and he moves to Florida, which is the final straw for Eve. She loses all faith in God.

The second part opens the following year. Eve is now at junior high and thoroughly disliking it. Her mother suggests that she join Chantel in a modelling course in Boston that summer to "do something different" and "make her feel good about herself". Eve reluctantly goes to the first class and is so humiliated by the teacher that she walks out on her own, with the intention of leaving home. While wandering through the streets trying to think what to do next, she encounters the Charles Street Pottery. The owner of the shop, Mike, takes Eve inside and encourages her to tell him her problems. Mike advises Eve to go home and face the difficulties there rather than trying to run away from it all. He then promises Eve that the next time she is in Boston, he will give her pottery lessons. Eve does not tell her parents anything about this, fearing that they will forbid her to see a man that they do not know.

As Eve keeps returning to the shop, she and Mike develop a deep and close friendship. Eve realises that Mike is not only teaching her pottery, but a lot about "herself, God, life and love". Rather than handing out advice, he allows Eve to grow and think for herself, and encourages her, without being didactic, to tell the truth to herself and others. Eve's lost faith in God begins to be restored.

Meanwhile, Chantel runs away with her drama teacher, causing a great scandal at her school. Her mother is devastated, but realises that that is exactly what she did at Chantel's age and blames herself for making life hard for Chantel. Eve makes a vow not to sneak off to see Mike behind her mother's back, but cannot keep herself from doing so. Some months later Chantel returns to her parents' house, with her lover. Her father is furious and works himself up so much that he has a heart attack.

Eve makes up her mind that she will go to Mike's shop for the last time, explain everything and tell him that they cannot see each other again - "Mum needed me. Mike didn't." However, when she arrives, she cannot find the right words, and her secret of two years bursts out - she is in love with Mike. Mike does not feel the same way, although he assures Eve that they have a very good friendship. Eve is distraught, confused and angry at herself.

Gradually, Eve begins to understand better all that Mike has taught her, about trusting, believing and accepting changes as necessary and healthy. Her father dies in her arms of another heart attack, and at that moment she finally understands his pain and fear of dying. A few months later, Mike arrives at her house with his fiancée, whom he has only recently met. Eve takes this very hard, but her mother advises her to move on - "Mike has his own life to live, and you have yours." Eventually, Eve's pain lessens, and she remembers instead everything that Mike gave her during their friendship. Near the end she decides: "I will choose to love".

On that same day she meets Bobby in the street - after years of hearing nothing from him, he has returned to the island. As Eve "remember [s] what seemed like another lifetime", their friendship is rekindled.