eleanor & park

eleanor & park
rainbow rowell
ya/romance
st. martin's griffin
published 2013

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.

When you read a book you enjoy there is a point in the book where you go from not really caring about the book to being enthralled and instantly loving the characters in a way you hadn't just the page before.  In Eleanor & Park that happened for me somewhere around page 53.  And then it just took off from there.

Eleanor stayed away from the N-word, even in her head.  It was bad enough that, thanks to Richie's influence, she went around mentally calling everyone she met a "motherfucker." (Irony.)

He emptied all his handheld video games and Josh's remote control cars, and called his grandma to tell her that all he wanted for his birthday in November was AA batteries.

This book was so rich.  So many emotions were wrung out reading this book.  It felt like being bipolar.  I was enchanted, terrified, elated, sad, relieved and full of wonder.  It brought back those feelings of first love and the angst of high school with this surprising element of family and how you can't choose who brings you into this world.  Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's not.

Add in comics, superheroes, music of the 80's, sci fi references and loaded with sarcasm laced with tenderness, it became nearly the perfect book.

Maybe Park had paralyzed her with his ninja magic, his Vulcan handhold, and now he was going to eat her.  That would be awesome.

 Oh and it was.