Book Three Review

Eleanor And Park

By Rainbow Rowell

Everyone has his or her own guilty pleasure. Be it excessive television watching, awkward shower singing, compulsive junk-food eating, we’ve all got them.

Mine? The unlikely, but ever so tasty, combination of Wendy’s savory French-fries double dipped in a rich, chocolate frosty.

If you have never indulged in the fries-frosty duo, you might be questioning my tasting pallet as the two foods stem from entirely different categories. According to the all-powerful “food pyramid” that you might recall learning about back in health class, French fries would fall somewhere in the carbohydrates category (maybe even the "fats" category) while a frosty would probably land far off in the dairy category.
 

Although they both can be placed under the generic umbrella term “food”, each belongs to its own individual category, making the scrumptious combination ever more fascinating.

Much like the implausible chemistry found between French fries and a chocolate frosty, Rainbow Rowell’s first young-adult fiction novel, Eleanor and Park, features the convergence of two very diverse people and the unlikely chemistry that the two find in one another.

The first of these people is Park Sheridan.

Half-Korean and a fan of comic books and good music, Park comes from what most would deem a “normal background”. He fits in at school, has multiple friends, and has decently good looks which, according to Eleanor, consisted of "magical eyes" (113). Aside from the occasional bickering and arguing between Park and his father, the Sheridan’s home life is akin to that of your average family of four; while Park’s mother stays home running her home based- or rather, garage based- hair salon, his father works elsewhere, bringing in the bulk of the pay for the family.

Eleanor’s family, on the other hand, is another story.

With her father having left when she was just a little girl, Eleanor Douglas lives with her mother (who is too emotionally unstable to care for herself, let alone a houseful of children), her abusive stepfather, Richie, and her multitude of siblings. While Richie does have a job, he neglects to share his money, leaving Eleanor and her siblings with little to nothing to get by on. Food is scare as well as space and Eleanor’s wardrobe consists of nothing but zipper-less jeans, torn up jackets, and worn out men’s shirts supplied by the local Goodwill.

With attire such as this, it’s no surprise that kids at school are unaccepting of Eleanor on her first day. They make fun of not only her mangy clothing but her plump body and voluminous red hair as well, assigning her pet names like “Big Red” (55), "Raghead" (23), and “Bozo” (8) almost instantaneously.

From the moment she steps onto the bus, students avoid Eleanor as if she is some sort of plague. They place books, backpacks, jackets, whatever they can get their hands on in the seat next to them to ensure that Eleanor is unable to infect them with her disease. They holler dirty names and shoot wicked glares at her, and in the back of the bus Eleanor can see the boys “licking their chops” (8) as she scurries down the aisle- and not in a good way.

But just as Eleanor is about to lose all hope, Park steps in to save the day. Be it in a somewhat irate, vindictive manner, Park “scoot[s] towards the window” (9), allowing Eleanor to occupy the seat next to him. Though she is hesitant at first, she graciously takes the seat being sure to leave at least “six inches of space” (9) between the two.

While this gesture may appear to be nothing more than an act of generosity, it is, in reality, much more than that.

It is in this moment that Park decides to defy what others deem the “social norm”.

It is in this moment that Eleanor decides to admit that maybe she does need a little help from a friend.

It is in this moment that Park decides to stand up for someone other than himself.

It is in this moment that Eleanor becomes more than just the big, awkward new girl that no one likes.

It is in this moment that Eleanor and Park spark the flame to what might possibly be one of the greatest relationships in all of literary history.

The love that Eleanor and Park come to have for one another teaches readers not only what it means to love someone but also what it means to be there for someone, what it means to take a walk in someone else’s shoes, what it means to not care what others may or may not think about you, and, most importantly, what is means to have hope.

What it means to have hope even when everyone at school terrorizes and pokes fun at you, when your abusive step father is a drunk who cares only about himself, when you feel as if there is nowhere for you to go.

Eleanor and Park is a story about love, yes, but it is also so, so much more.