I can be fickle when it comes to finding books to read. Sometimes, I like to get on the popular book bandwagon and read trendy things. Other times, I don’t want to read a book, just because people tell me to read it.
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell fell into that second category. I heard from several people that it was a great book and I needed to read it, but I was too much of a rebel to try to check it out from the library. But, when it came in the book drop the other day, I decided to take the plunge. And, of course, I loved it.
This book revolves around two teenagers, Eleanor and Park, who are growing up in the mid-eighties. Eleanor is a poor, red headed girl who lives with her mother, her four siblings, and her horrible, gross stepfather. Park is a middle class half Korean boy who lives with his parents and his younger brother. Park and Eleanor meet when Eleanor is new and has nowhere to sit on the school bus. As the school year progresses, they begin to talk to each other on the bus, and then they start to like each other. However, they cannot spend time together like normal people because Eleanor’s stepfather is abusive and controlling and doesn’t want Eleanor or her siblings to do anything. They have to hide in a back room when he is around, and they have to pretend not to hear when he hits their mother. Despite the harsh living conditions Eleanor finds herself in, she is still able to find joy with Park, and eventually, they fall in love. I won’t tell you any more since I don’t want to spoil the ending.
I really loved this book because I felt like it was a great, realistic portrayal of teens. The relationship that blossomed between the two main characters was sweet and tender–it wasn’t gratuitous simply for the sake of being gratuitous. And, the teenagers in the book weren’t portrayed as being full of angst or anger, simply because they are teens. They weren’t overly dramatic or overly romantic. They were real people–not a stereotype of what a teen should be or must be.
I loved this book. I definitely would recommend it for teen readers, just because some of the harsh conditions in Eleanor’s home are hard to read about, but I would recommend it without hesitation.
If you like Young Adult fiction and are looking for something to read other than The Hunger Games, make sure to check out this book!
The Local Bookery 