Now we are talking! This was the book club pick for the month of May, and after the letdown (created by moi) over one of Elmore Leonard’s not so good novels Djibouti, I was hoping for a winner. Luckily someone else had a great suggestion waiting in the wings, as they had just finished reading Eleanor & Park. And how fitting, that I finished this book at the tail end of #IReadYAWeek – bonus!
This is a book about love, and heartache, and growing up, and the 1980s and it is ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. The situations are complicated, the reality is harsh, the characters are nuanced, and it just rings so true to life that it will pull on your heartstrings while it makes you smile. I want to buy copies and leave them places, and shout it from the rafters. I don’t often read YA and after my recent stint with The Fault in Our Stars I thought that I was wise to leave this genre alone, but if there are more like this around, gimme.
And the POV? Delightful! The book jumps back and forth from the titular Eleanor and also Park and we see the world through their eyes, and see the characters both as they see themselves, and as they see each other. It is a charming storytelling device and really pulls you into the narrative.
I wish Rider Strong of my favorite podcast Literary Disco, who often and without fail maligns the entire genre of YA, would get his eyes on this one. In my eyes Eleanor & Park is a clear example that the genre has a purpose, that you can write WELL for young adults. What this book says is important.
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