Eleanor & Park

Rowell, R. (2013). Eleanor & Park. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.

Summary

Eleanor is a new girl in school and she doesn't fit in very well starting with her bright red hair and her strange outfit choice.  Park is the unlucky person who has to sit next to Eleanor on her first day on the bus.  He is not too happy about it.  Over the days an friendship develops then a romance.  Eleanor's home life is awful. She lives with her mother, 5 siblings, and an abusive stepfather. Richie had kicked Eleanor out of the house a year ago and she was forced to live on the couch in the house of friends of her mom.  Now that she has returned, she is forced to walk on eggshells so as to not disturb the fragile structure that is in place now in this new small home. Park recognizes that Eleanor is smart and finds a fellow comic book lover.  They share taste in books and music. When they begin dating, Eleanor has to make sure Park doesn't find out the truth about her home life.  While Park has no problem telling Eleanor how he feels about her, she cannot bring herself to reciprocate. One day he defends her against Steve, a bully, and gets in a fight. His mother gets angry and grounds him from seeing Eleanor again.  Eventually Park's parents see Eleanor's true family life and offer to let her stay with them. She accepts.  Then her uncle offers to let her come stay with him in Minnesota. Richie won't let her leave. However after a big fight between Richie, Eleanor and her mom, Park drives her up to Minnesota with monetary help from his dad. Park still holds on to their relationship by writing letters and sending packages. Eleanor never responds.  Park's hope of reuniting or continuing their relationship long distance slowly slips away.  Eleanor tells a friend at her new home that she didn't have a boyfriend. She thinks to herself that Park was her champion.  At the end, the author leaves us with a cliffhanger. Park finally gets a postcard from Eleanor and it says three words. We are left to guess what they are.

Commentary

A wonderful quick read.  The chapters don't dwell on forever repeating details over and over again.  The book moves fast much like the friendship and romance between Park and Eleanor.  I thought the character of Park was considerate. On the other hand, it took me a while to warm up to Eleanor.  I want to feel for her but she comes across as curt. I'm sure that is the wall she has to build up because of Richie and her mom.  This is true in real life too. The students that are hard to sympathize with are usually the ones carrying the heaviest baggage. When I saw that this book had been banned, it surprised me. I read through it so fast that the profanity and "sexuality" didn't really jump out at me as significant.  I just attributed it to the author writing what teenagers say and do. 

Connections

Connections to Text

This novel checks all the boxes when it comes to YA Realistic fiction; bullying, love, abuse, alcoholism, suffering through school, finding ones place, breaking up, and moving on. It is no wonder why it was a Printz Award Honor Book in 2014.  Girls and boys can relate to the themes included in the novel.