Book Review: Eleanor and Park. Author: Rainbow Rowell.

 

Hello, everyone! I hope you all are doing well and are safe in the comfort of your homes. Today, I will be reviewing the novel 'Eleanor and Park, written by Rainbow Rowell in the following contexts:

1.  How did I happen to read this novel?
2.  What is the central idea of the novel?
3. What is the striking attribute of the novel?
4. Detailed review and analysis. 

1. How did I happen to read this novel?

As a reader, I have always had a certain preference for classics because I liked the imagination, the flow of the story and the message it sought to give. I had never read a modern day love story with modern day issues, until a very dear friend suggested this novel to me. His insistence upon me reading it was so much, that one day I finally grabbed a copy from a bookstore near to my house (needless to say, I paid for it, too!). 

2. What is the central idea of the novel?

The central idea of the novel is largely on what lies beneath the surface, feigned ignorance (resulting from inherent fear of consequences), and LOVE, meaning, the ability to love someone despite themselves and their situations. The ability to love someone MORE because of that. 

3. What is the striking attribute of the novel?

What struck me the most was the contradiction between the life and situations of the two protagonists, Eleanor and Park, and the complexities in that contradiction. 

4. Detailed review and analysis:

The first line of the novel expresses a depressing nostalgia of the protagonist 'Park Sheridan' of  his beloved 'Eleanor Douglas' who was a modern day misunderstood girl with a lot beneath the surface. 

At the outset, she portrayed a character, who would wear weird clothes and have no friends in school, but is a sharp learner, a sarcastically funny person once anyone got to know her. She was funny because of her pain and innocence. It took me (a reader) a great amount of time to understand that. 

The struggles someone is going through is essentially a matter of mindful, empathetic and intellectual consideration, which quite obviously is ignored by teenagers who are curious, condescending and adventure seeking young adults. 

The characterization of the protagonists portrays a strong contrast in their situations which is the main reason for the initial shyness in the acknowledgement of the slow friendship between them. Eleanor is a girl with a broken soul, with no one to look up to for help and support, not even her mother, who marries a drunken sod and chooses to live at his mercy, learns to define herself by her husband for the very selfish reason that she loves him despite himself and wants her children to have a roof over their heads. Having experienced abandonment and rejection as a child, Eleanor never let anyone climb the ladders to the secret garden of her heart and the majestic palace of her mind, a great part of which were not even known and discovered by her.

 F. Scott Fitzgerald  said, "There exists all kinds of love in the world, but never the same love twice". The little attention or occasional expressions of love that Eleanor had always been used to are in direct contrast to the ones that Park experienced. Park Sheridan was a very well brought up teenage boy who had his own way of disappointing his parents like wearing eye-liner, or not being good at sports. 

The fact that there is a lot beneath the surface is is highlighted very well in the novel. The complexities of family relationships and their active role in defining a person for the rest of their lives, leaving a scar behind and making a person gradually lose their confidence because of this reason is effectively showcased. 

As I reached the mid-point of the novel, I felt that as Eleanor found her happiness with Park, he learns a lot of things about her, about life and about himself. He learns two things: 

• to express what he truly wants. 
• whatever he wants, he only wants it with Eleanor. 

The juvenility of the characters is seen by use of the phrase 'I Love You' a bit too much. Even though young love is fickle and ignorant of reality, the love that blossoms between Eleanor and Park feels as though it's love between two adults. A love where even flaws seem beautiful, a love where just the presence of the beloved is enough. A love where time is of the essence. 

The element of cruelty portrayed in Eleanor's step-father is very clear and he does seem like a Godless man who considers taking care of his wife and children to be AN ACT OF KINDNESS rather than a CALL OF DUTY. This is instrumental in shaping Eleanor's opinion that when someone shows he basic respect, she takes it to be kindness. A painful pill for me to swallow. 

The metamorphosis of the side characters such as Park's friends and their cold shouldering Eleanor initially to saving her from being physically harmed by her step father is worthy of mentioning. In some ways, they do model Anne Frank's thinking when she wrote, "In Spite of everything, I still believe that people are good at heart". 

There is a lot beneath everyone's surface be it mean or good. People are who they are for a reason. The reason for every character in the novel to be who they were are convincing and justified. Even though the novel is titled as 'Eleanor and Park', the novel is largely about Eleanor. It is about her journey from being a broken girl for whom trusting someone would mean sharing a part of herself, to bringing herself to find joy, comfort, trust and love in the reticent Park Sheridan. 

While reading, I could not help but wonder if they are just two people trying to be less lonely. The definition of 'Love' is highly relative and it changes from age to age, but the definition that Eleanor and Park arrive at feels too precocious and cogent for their age. Maybe, like the subjective definition of love, the understanding too is relative. 

Towards the end of the novel, which is 'the separation stage', another embodiment of love is portrayed: letting go, and remembrance. Park and his father help Eleanor move to a better life. Park knows and has always known all along that Eleanor could not and must not stay in the toxic environment of her home. 

When Eleanor and Park are away from each other, he takes a lot of effort to contact her, but Eleanor on the other hand......

This novel left me in tears, taught me the realities of life and encouraged me to think in all directions. I understood that love largely means feeling peaceful with someone, enjoying their company and not being ashamed of them. But love also means letting go, even when you want it to stay. Or, maybe, it shouldn't!

Article written by: Ms. Radhika Sunil Vaidya.

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