Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: 
                            A Review

Please keep in mind that this review may contain spoilers. It is intended to share my opinion of the book and is geared toward people who have already read it. Also, some details will be left out; this to preserve dialogue and the storyline for potential readers, and just because I have forgotten things since reading. I began reading this story on January 17th, 2022 and finished it the following day. 

    Why I wanted to read it:

    Prior to Eleanor & Park, I had heard mixed reviews about Rainbow Rowell. Looking past the negativity regarding her views and writing, there are a lot of readers who think she is an awesome YA author. 

I wanted to give her work a fair chance and decided to read probably one of her most acclaimed works, Eleanor & Park. To add, I absolutely love young adult romance books, particularly those following the story in both characters' perspectives. I had a feeling I would love this book, and I was not wrong. 

    The process of reading this book:

    I decided to read the audiobook version of Eleanor & Park. I definitely think it added to the overall enjoyment of the story, because I was able to associate a voice with the characters. I feel that the voice acting in the audiobook was good and really helped me to connect with both Eleanor and Park and their story in general.

    

    As mentioned before, the story is told in two perspectives: Eleanor and Park, the main characters and love interests. Each character has a diverse backstory, and I feel that this both makes them relatable and unrelatable at the same time, if that makes sense. Eleanor is very much the stereotypical "different girl" that you find in many young adult love stories; she's a mystery, dresses and acts unlike everyone else, and is shy but down to earth. However, she secretly deals with abuse, neglect, and poverty. And then you have Park, who is Asian American. As someone who reads a lot of romance novels, I can really appreciate the use of characters who are not only diverse racially, but also socially. These characters are also incredibly likeable, and it was really easy to fall in love with them and their story.

 Eleanor is a high school student who has just moved back into town and lives with her mother, stepfather, and siblings. Although her mother and younger siblings love her, she often feels tormented and alienated by her stepfather. She also is being supported by the family's single income, which doesn't allow for basic necessities like a toothbrush or shampoo. Despite this, she still maintains her own unique style and sense of self.

Park is essentially the opposite of Eleanor. Where she is dealing with disparity and a broken home, Park has loving parents who provide him with everything he needs and wants within reason. Despite their differences, Eleanor and Park ride the same bus to school and eventually sit together. 

At first, they did not like each other and Park felt a bit embarrassed to associate with her due to the way she presents herself. Overtime though, he begins to find Eleanor intriguing. It starts when he catches her reading his comic book from across the table in class. Even though they don't say anything, Park allows Eleanor to read with him as they share the bus ride home. He then begins to loan Eleanor his comic books and even his cassette player and tapes. 

Because of Eleanor's disparity, she finds this to be a really big deal and it warms her heart. 

Slowly, their relationship starts to bloom; they get to know one another and their time on the bus becomes something to look forward to. Even though Eleanor is the subject of torment with their classmates, Park sees something in her and begins to defend her. He even gets into a physical fight. 

Throughout this, Eleanor begins to notice degrading notes on her school books. She believes that this is from Tina, the girl who used to date Park. Eleanor also feels pressure to conform to Park's mother's standards of beauty, which really hurts her. And let's not forget everything she goes through at home. 

The majority of the book chronicles their relationship, which for the most part is very innocent and sweet. Park very much becomes her protector and the person who sees her true beauty, despite her weight, wild red hair, and masculine clothes. He accepts her as she is and becomes the constant in her troubled life. However, she must hide their relationship from her stepfather out of fear of being sent away.

Just when their relationship seems to be at its strongest, Eleanor realizes that her stepfather is the culprit of the abusive notes. She comes home to find her belongings destroyed and is in fear for her life. She tells Park that she needs to run away in order to be safe. Having just gotten his driver's license, Park decides to drive across states to help Eleanor escape to her uncle's house. She feels that he is a good person and wouldn't turn her away. Park's father even gives consent to the plan, even though he typically is the more terse parent of the two. 

When they arrive at the uncle's house, Eleanor requests for Park to just leave and not wait for her. Although they make plans for her to call him on a regular basis, she fails to call. And while Park pours his heart out in letters, they end up going unanswered.

Just when Park feels the need to move on, he finally receives a postcard with three words from Eleanor. We can presume that they are "I Love You". 

My criticisms

As a former victim of a verbally abusive family member, I can relate to the torment that Eleanor goes through. However, I feel that secretly writing "You're a slut" on your stepdaughter's books wouldn't be something an adult would do, even if they are particularly hateful. It's more characteristic of a catty school girl and not of a grown man. Another thing I am unsure about is the whole incident with Eleanor's clothes being submerged in the toilet. Before it is revealed that the stepfather is responsible for the notes, it is assumed that Tina is the culprit. With the new revelation, I feel that Rainbow wants you to think that her stepfather also ruined her clothes. Again, when and how would he have gotten into the school to do this, and would it be conceivable to do this? It's just a bit fuzzy to me. Finally, I did not like the ending. Obviously, you assume that Eleanor and Park reconnect, but I would've loved to have confirmation that they did end up together. Also, why did Eleanor have to hurt Park so much after everything he's done for her? It just really upset me to see everything fall apart after their relationship blossomed so much. 

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. At the point of reading this, it had been a while since I read a book where the protagonists were teenagers. The innocence and tenderness (even in times of them getting physically intimate) was really heartwarming and refreshing. I like the evolution of their relationship and how realistic their interactions were. Even though they were more intelligent and mature teenagers, they still had the element of being kids. Their diction and mannerisms reflected that, and I appreciate the realistic approach to a young relationship. It also goes without saying that everything they overcame could give hope to a multitude of readers. I really like that this represents an interracial couple, especially one that has to contend with bullying and their differences in socioeconomic classes. It goes to show that love can change people and love can prevail. 

  I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. While I feel that there were aspects that could be improved, this was a great read. It's just a very sweet love story that is also very inspiring.