Approximately a year ago, after reading a book I won’t name, I thought I was tired of books set in New York City. I was absolutely sure there was nothing more a story about New York City had to offer me, especially as a born-and-raised Pacific Northwesterner. Although I still think there’s an oversaturation, “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston brings something new to the city.
The novel stars August, a 20-something freshly arrived in NYC to attend school who viciously guards her heart due to a lifetime of working on her uncle’s missing person case. He’s been missing for 45 years, costing August a relationship with her mom. But August soon finds herself dropped into a strange little corner of the city’s culture that doesn’t get enough love: the queer culture in big cities. In spite of herself, she finds herself opening up due to queerplatonic friendships with her roommates and neighbors, a job at a staple Brooklyn diner and Jane Su, a butch, punk riot grrrl in a leather jacket and cherry red Converse. Jane Su is also stuck on the subway and out of time, looping the Q train for reasons unknown.
The two meet on an icy January morning, when August manages to spill an entire cup of coffee on her shirt as she barely makes the Q before her first day of class. Jane becomes her savior by handing her a red scarf. From then on, August is smitten, even as she realizes Jane might not actually be there.
It’s on the subway that their romance blooms. Between the sticky seats, flickering lights and graffiti-covered walls, a liminal space allows August to let down her walls. She navigates increasingly complicated feelings as the two deduce who Jane is and where she came from. August teaches Jane about cell phones, and Jane responds in kind, telling August about ’70s punk — the era Jane turns out to be from.
“One Last Stop” is a sci-fi romance made for millennials. August is 25 and, while she doesn’t have a bed frame, she has a mountain of student loans and chronic problems with the uneven flooring in her Brooklyn apartment. Her struggles with identity and finances are a little too relatable. But the story is also about the experience of the wider LGBTQ+ community. A bunch of queer and trans people are shown not just scraping by, but flourishing. They celebrate life and find joy in late-night drag shows and tiny eateries. The romance between August and Jane may be the center of the story, but McQuiston puts equal weight on the beauty of chosen family.
Through memories she shares with August, Jane brings the reader into the struggles of the gay communities in the 1960s and ’70s, from protests like Stonewall to the beginnings of the HIV pandemic to the Upstairs Lounge Arson Attack in New Orleans. And with August, we see where we are now and still have to go. Although I believe it would have been nice to be inside of Jane’s head at some point, she is far from an underdeveloped or flat character. Her values and family are explored in detail, exposing a life straight out of a Runaways cassette.
August uses her skills from her childhood to find out more about Jane. Instead of her missing uncle, she tries to find Jane’s past, who she is and where she comes from, even though Jane can’t leave the Q train. It’s part sci-fi, part mystery and all romance.
The core of the book’s plot, the development of their relationship, is sweet and believable. Although the book falls under science fiction romance, romance is the focus of it all. The sex scenes are realistic and overall lighthearted, something that is typically lacking in many romance novels. Instead of angst and broody musings, McQuiston writes love interests who genuinely enjoy and care about each other.
Despite the novel being set in New York City, McQuiston also pays homage to her home state of Louisiana by having August be from New Orleans and including many references to local spots, culture and food. The same goes for Jane’s hometown of San Francisco. It is not just a love letter to these cities, but a chance to experience these cities anew, looking for a place to call home. And they do find home — with each other, their friends, their coworkers and the queer community. The people and places feel completely fleshed out.
Since the April 15 mandate saying everyone over the age of 16 in Washington qualifies for the vaccine, we’ve been able to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. Some people are tentatively removing their masks and being vulnerable for the chance to hug loved ones once more. In “One Last Stop,” Casey McQuiston encapsulates that feeling.
Despite her dedication to being tough and guarding her heart, August pours herself into the conundrum she has — being in love with a woman out of time. She realizes everything in her life is unsettled, except the Q train carrying her from Brooklyn to Coney Island alongside the charismatic Jane Su. Any reader can see themself in August, hoping against all odds to believe in something wonderful, even if the journey there has been strange and difficult.
That is the best takeaway from “One Last Stop:” if, despite the odds, a cynical, bisexual pancake-slinger and a lesbian quantum-subway-anomaly have a shot at being together and getting through everything, then maybe we can give things one last chance, or one last stop, as well. August, Jane and their community may be going through the wringer, but they are going through it together and full of love. The reader can’t resist rooting for them. “One Last Stop” delivers a light-hearted read that you’ll want to complete in one sitting.
If you enjoyed “One Last Stop,” I recommend:
■ “The True Queen” by Zen Cho.
■ “Honey Girl” by Morgan Rogers.
■ “Get A Life, Chloe Brown!” by Talia
Hibbert.
■ “Rafiki” dir. by Wanuri Kahiu.
■ “Booksmart” dir. by Olivia Wilde.
Leinani Lucas is a millennial who enjoys reading, writing and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her friends. Leinani can be found on Twitter @LeinaniLucas, when she’s not telling stories or singing loudly in the car.
Leinani Lucas is an Indigenous and Black writer from the Pacific Northwest. She can be found on Twitter @LeinaniLucas
Read more of the May 19-25, 2021 issue.