Eleanor & Park

It's been a long time since I had to read a book for college. There's always been the notion that when you had to read a book, it wasn't as good as if you read it on your own. Maybe that's why I wasn't overwhelmed by Eleanor & Park, a young adult novel I read for one of my education classes. Then again, maybe it's just because I don't dig Rainbow Rowell, who also wrote Landline. 

The book uses the old theme of star-crossed lovers, or in this case, just loves (they are in high school), and even makes references to Romeo and Juliet in the text. Eleanor is the new girl in town. She's overweight, with red hair, and dresses like a hobo. Her home life is horrible. She lives in a small house with her many siblings, and her mom is married to a horrible guy. She doesn't have a phone and needs a new toothbrush.

Park is something of an outsider, but has learned how to fit in. He's half Korean, likes to dress in black, and is into comic books and punk rock. When he sees Eleanor the first time he's not impressed. But he moves over on the bus and let's him sit next to her. Soon enough they are in love, though Eleanor doesn't trust the whole thing, especially with the delicacy of her home life.

The book is set in 1986, and is full of pop culture references that date the book. Some of the students in my class, who were born in the early '90s, had no idea what was being mentioned, so I'm guessing most post-millennials wouldn't either. Consider this passage: "XTC was no good for drowning out the morons at the back of the bus. Park pressed his headphones into his ears. Tomorrow he was going to bring Skinny Puppy or the Misfits. Or maybe he'd make a special bus tape with as much screaming and wailing on it as possible." In time, this book will need to be annotated.

Even more than Rowell's insistence on timely pop culture references, there's a lack of subtlety to the writing. She stacks the deck against Eleanor, constantly describing her as funny looking and lacking self-esteem. Park is also something of a cliche--the Asian kid into comic books. He even knows Tae Kwan Do. Eleanor's stepfather is a villain out of the Brothers Grimm, without a shred of humanity.

The story is very manipulative, telling more than showing and leading the reader to places they may not want to go. I think we were supposed to feel a great deal of empathy for the young couple, but I grew tired of them and didn't care what happened. There all also lapses in common sense. Park's father is supposed to very strict, but he lets his sixteen-year-old son, who has just gotten his driver's license, to drive all the way from Omaha to Minnesota. Sure.

I suppose if I was a teenage girl I'd think much differently about this book. It's very romantic, and not for cynics. If I were a girl who dotted her i's with hearts, it might have been my cup of tea. But as I'm not, I found it annoying.