When I first saw the cover for Eleanor & Park I wasn’t
sure it was for me. It’s not that I’m put off by romance; I just tend not to pick up a book
that is purely based around a relationship. But I bought it on impulse due to
the Waterstones “buy one get one half off” dilemma that I almost always have in
Waterstones. The title had just been given a Printz Honor Award so it was fresh
in my mind at the book shop the other week, and I’m pleased to say this wasn’t
like any other teen romance title I’ve read before. In fact, it’s one of the
most refreshing.
Eleanor has just arrived at a new school. She’s moved back
in with her mother and step-father after being kicked out of their house
previously. She’s chubby, has flaming red hair and a strange sense of style due
to being restricted to thrift-shop buys and hand-me-downs. She is not the sort
of person who you would expect to be a love interest, but that’s what happen
when Park lets her sit with him on the bus. At first, Park isn’t too sure about
Eleanor, and she doesn’t seem too fond of him. But when he notices her reading
his comic books during their bus ride, they start to interact more, and
eventually have a conversation.
This book is possibly the best I’ve read in capturing how it
really feels to be a teenager falling in love for the first time. It’s awkward,
it’s exciting and everything suddenly seems so different. Just holding someone’s
hand is shocking and thrilling, but eventually not enough. The story is split
to follow both Eleanor and Park’s perspectives. And while their relationship
drives the story forward, the horrors of Eleanor’s family slowly unravel and
start to affect every aspect of her life, even when she tries to keep them
separate.
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