Review: Eleanor and Park

Eleanor and Park

By Rainbow Rowell

St. Martin's Press February 2013

325 pages

From the library

Eleanor and Park is one of the most popular novels of the year. Park is a high school kid just trying to make it through each day. He is used to keeping his head down and staying invisible, but he can't help himself when a new girl climbs onto the bus one morning. Eleanor sticks out like a sore thumb with her bizarre clothing choices and flaming red hair. Park begrudgingly offers her the seat next to him and a tentative friendship is struck over music and comic books. As their relationship shifts from friendship to love, can their bond survive the cruelty of high school and the pain of Eleanor's broken home?

Since I may actually be the last person on the planet (at least among the book bloggers) to read this book, I am only going to write about the book itself for a bit. I liked this book a lot. Rowell effortlessly captures life in the 1980s and life as a teenager. I appreciated that she gave us a multitude of characters - the popular kids, the outcast, and a character in the middle. Too many authors don't create any characters in between the two extremes. Eleanor is mercilessly picked on. Park has a few close friends but isn't one of the popular kids. Rowell succeeds in making even her tormentors surprising and developed characters. I loved that she showed the nuances of every type of high school kid.

I also loved the relationships between Park and his parents. It's so refreshing to see teens having a good relationship with their parents that doesn't preclude disagreements or discipline. This book strikes the perfect balance of a fluffy teen read and a dark look into young love that faces challenges at every turn. Eleanor and Park is charming and heartfelt and I completely understand how so many readers and bloggers have been won over by it.

That being said, I think I fell prey to the "problem of the popular book." When you hear about a book over and over again, you get very high expectations. Everyone seemed to adore this book and I was prepared to join the exclaiming masses. I did really like this book, but I think the best way to read Eleanor and Park is without preconceived nations. This is the perfect story to discover unexpectedly as surprising gift from a talented writer. If you haven't read this book yet, plan to pick it up. The best way to read it will be in a few months when all of the buzz has died down.