'Eleanor & Park' Book Review #18

Back in 2017 when I was still in a group home, my CASA worker (another advocate for a child/someone who spoils you) bought me 'Eleanor & Park' by Rainbow Rowell offline. I had read the synopsis and immediately became interested. Sadly, the book ended up being in a different language. She sent it back and I didn't think of this book until I saw it in an app called 'Thriftbooks' (which is an awesome place to buy books if you want them cheap) and it was a hardcover in great shape. I bought it and just a couple days ago, I finally got around to it and read it.

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

"Eleanor and Park are two sixteen-year-olds forced to sit together on a school bus in 1980s Omaha, Nebraska. The two could not be more different. Eleanor, the new girl in town, is heavier than average and struggles with a bad home life. Park, a gloomy half-Korean comic book-lover, is just figuring his life and himself out. As they dive head on into a unplanned, unfathomable first love, their lives begin to crack and crumble. Soon, it is not their job to keep themselves together, but each other too."

In the beginning of this book, I automatically connected with Eleanor. She was a bigger girl, came from a poor family, weird/mean step-dad, mother brain-washed, crowded and unlivable living space, no food, getting bullied, loves to read. . . Her and I have a lot in common and I guess that is what made me love this book so much. When I am able to put myself in a characters shoes or know the pain they're going through, it helps me connect and become so much more invested in the story.

Picture by @tashaslibrary on Instagram

This book is kind of like a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Spoiler alert: no one dies! Instead, Rowell decided to create a story of two diverse home lives and allow everyone to realize that no matter who you are or what you go through, you are capable to love and to be loved. And I loved that.

I loved the nerdy-ness in this story from the comics to the wonderful music that was talked about. It truly reflects on how people use these things to escape from their reality that they live in every day.

The ending killed my soul. I'm not joking- my chest still hurts after I finished reading the book. It was such a mood-killer, the way it ended but it adds to the rawness just how ugly reality can be by choice.

I'm glad I read this book when I did. It really tugged at my heart and effected me in ways I can't describe because I was so hooked with the characters. I'm hoping to one day read more books by Rainbow Rowell because this one set high expectations for me!