After being kicked out of the house for a year by her new step-father, Eleanor's back and starting at a new high school. She walks onto the bus, chubby, with bright, wild red hair, and weird clothes. No one wants her to sit by them. But when the bus driver insists she sit down, an Asian kid named Park reluctantly moves his bag so she can sit. Eleanor and Park ride the bus together in silence every day. But when he notices her reading his X-Men comics over his shoulder, he slows down his page turns. He doesn't want to be associated with the new girl, and she thinks of him as "weird Asian kid." When he gets vol. 1 of Watchmen, he invites her to take it home and finish it. Shocked, she does and loves every moment. A few days later she arrives on the bus to find a whole stack of comics waiting for her on her seat, to take home, read, and bring back.
Have I caught your attention? Because this had to be one of the most romantic beginnings to a story I’d ever read. When he sees that she’s written the titles of Smiths songs on her book covers and learns she's never heard them, he makes a mix tape. When he finds out she doesn’t have anything to listen to it on, he gives her his walkman.
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| Fan art by Henna Lucas http://pbjsandwitch.tumblr.com/ |
What Park doesn't know is what a dreadful, scary place Eleanor's home is. She’s so poor, she doesn't have a toothbrush, and her mother married the physically, verbally, and emotionally abusive drunk who kicked Eleanor out of the house for a year. So the bus rides and the music and the comics become her solace. She spends every waking moment away from Park thinking about him, anticipating the next time she’ll see him. And even though he comes from a happy home with loving parents, he feels the same way about her, wishing he could always be with her.
Even though Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell is another love story b/w teenagers in high school, nothing about this story feels like something I’ve seen before. The excellent writing and character development elevate this above so much of what's out there, while still maintaining a good story with heart and excitement. Everything about this story felt real--her mother’s relationship with this abusive creep, Park’s father's difficulty in connecting with his sensitive son, Eleanor’s discomfort being in a traditional home like Park’s, her shame and unwillingness to open up, Park’s feminine mother not knowing how to make sense of this odd red-headed girl, I could go on. All of these various themes and everyday life struggles give the story some real meat and depth.
And the romance--it puts Twilight to shame! The love is so intense and passionate. There are lines like, "Eleanor sitting next to him on the couch made Park feel like someone had opened a window in the middle of the room. Like someone had replaced all the air in the room with brand-new, improved air (now with twice the freshness)." Yeah.
I would recommend this to John Green fans (he did give it a stellar review).
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