Peps' Reading List: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

After the rather intimidating (but immensely satisfying) Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer, I wanted something drastically different... a lighter fare that's not as demanding as the sci-fi behemoth. How I ended up with a YA romance title... well, I had to choose quickly before the jellybean chose for me. It looked simpler. And it was short.

I didn't expect to finish it in a day, though.

Park Sheridan is content with his high school life. He's not counted as popular, but he's not at the bottom of the high school popularity totem pole either. So, his first instinct when he saw new girl Eleanor Douglas -- she of the shocking red hair, chubby physique and strange clothes -- was to pity her. But Park is a nice guy, so he rudely offers the seat beside him on the bus, because nobody else would let her sit with them. Initially intent on ignoring her so that he isn't included in the bullying dispensed by Steve, Tina and their friends, Park soon realizes that, as the days go by, there's more to Eleanor than her apparent weirdness.

You just know that they were going to end up liking each other. Park is far too nice to focus on the more unfortunate parts of Eleanor, and Eleanor is far too insightful to truly believe that Park is merely the rude boy on her first day of school. And they have far too much chemistry to negate the possibility of a relationship, even if they do spend those first days sitting side by side on the bus in silence.

YA romances aren't really my thing (you can ask my husband who had to watch the film version of The Fault in Our Stars by himself), but sometimes there are titles that would catch my eye and I'd consider adding it to my reading list. I kept seeing Eleanor & Park as a trending title in Goodreads, so I decided to just get a copy and see if I wouldn't cringe at the sappiness that was sure to come.

And it does get sappy, I tell you. Once Park and Eleanor both embrace their feelings for each other, they make sweeping statements expressing their love and how the other makes them feel. Yet, there's little cringing or embarrassment to be had while reading Eleanor & Park as an adult who doesn't really prioritize romance in her reading list (not as the main genre, at least... I still enjoy romance as part of a larger narrative).

There is a balance that Rainbow Rowell treads as a writer in this book. Wherein she attempts to recreate what it means to be in love at sixteen, in all its corny glory, whilst avoiding the whole "what am I reading and why am I reading this at my age?" question for adults. There is sense of nostalgia to be felt as you read the romantic journey of Eleanor and Park. You might not share the awkward start of their relationship or the geeky undertones that defined it or the specific challenges that beset them throughout its course, but there is a kinship to be felt. It doesn't matter if you and your first love ended up having a relationship (whether to happy ever after or not), it's easy enough to recognize the emotions that emanate from every interaction between the two. First loves usually have an immortal feel to them, because that's when you are most brave, whether in expressing your emotions or in thinking that you can face any challenges that come your way.

Park and Eleanor are fleshed out beautifully, with Rainbow Rowell ensuring that we get to know them as individuals, to better understand why they fit together. Park is the son of parents who are very much in love during a time when everyone else is getting a divorce. They're not rich, but they don't want for anything. But underneath all that percolates a resentment towards his father, who Park believes is disappointed in him for not being manly enough. And Eleanor is more than capable of standing up for herself, but she is beset by insecurities and fears. Park and his home becomes a refuge against the bleak home life that she shares with her mother, siblings and stepfather. Both are interesting apart, but the pages don't exactly come to life as cohesively as they do when the two are together and letting their relationship grow. There are clashes of personalities, tempered by moments of stark honesty.

There is an undercurrent of threat in the story, one that would later define the course of Park and Eleanor's relationship. A large part of Eleanor's struggles comes from the abusive household she is a part of, and she tries to maintain the peace her relationship with Park brings to her by keeping it a secret. Because her stepfather Richie would never let the opportunity pass to destroy what brings Eleanor any joy in her life. In one of the first exchanges between Richie and Eleanor, he tells her something. The words don't bear repeating, but they are words that no sixteen year old should hear from an adult who's supposed to be taking care of her, regardless if they are not blood-related. It's the first instance of direct abuse towards Eleanor in her own home in the story, and it was like a cold wash of reality as to why Eleanor is both terrified as she is joyful to have found Park in her life. And this threat overshadows any other challenges the two might face... not the bullying that Eleanor endures at school and definitely not the disdain that Park's mother feels upon meeting her.

There's something easy to relate to about Eleanor & Park. Of the many characters I've read this year so far, Park and Eleanor are probably the easiest to empathize with. Like I said, you don't have to have to same experiences as they do, but Rainbow Rowell hits close to home when it comes to the emotions that they express in the pages of her book. Those emotions will strike a sense of familiarity with most, if not all, of the book's readers. She also deftly juggles the lighter aspects of teenage romance with somber themes that you can't look away from, however you want to wish the specter of Richie to disappear.

This might not be a sci-fi or fantasy story told on a grand scale, but Eleanor & Park weaves its own kind of magic that I'm glad I didn't miss out on.

Happy reading!

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