I was at Big Bad Wolf (a yearly book sale which is a haven to all the bookworms!) in 2017 when I came across a book called ‘Eleanor and Park’. I was not into reading love stories and the author was not someone I was familiar with, so I did not consider adding that to my book pile. Then I came across a line printed across the front cover which stopped me on my tracks and drove me to get the book.
“Reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book. – John Green”
John Green is the author of the very famous book ‘The fault in our stars’ (another classic I highly recommend). So I thought why not give it a try…
I do not regret my decision. This book blew me away! I was obsessed with the story, so much that it drew my attention even during lecture hours! I fell in love with the simplicity of the story as well as the narrating style.
The story defies the typical high school love stories. Eleanor is a girl with a difficult family life and a mismatched fashion sense; add flaming red hair to that, she could not stand out more if she tried! Following her, you come across Park, the silent Asian guy in black who sits at the back of the bus trying his best not to draw any attention to himself. They are thrown into a whirlwind of first love. No matter how imperfect their lives are they manage to find comfort within each other.
Maybe the storyline sounds very cheesy, but it actually is not. I was dazed with a permanent smile on my face throughout the read. Furthermore, the book is narrated by both characters, which I think is a very good move. It gives and insight to how both of them feel in contrast to some one-sided stories where you have to guess how the secondary character feels.
One of my favorite lines is “Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something”. Rainbow Rowell has captured the basic essence of young romance so perfectly and added much more to it that it swallows you and never leaves.
Everything has an end. Sadly so does this book. The ending left me a complete wreck. I was hoping for an epilogue so bad I googled it just to make sure it has not gotten ripped off from my copy. You know what they say, a good book is never long enough. Rowell has become one of my top 10 favorite authors just after getting hold of a single one of her many creations!
I undoubtedly recommend this one to all my fellow bookworms. Even though you might be more of a Dan Brown or George R. R. Martin fan, it never hurts to try new things! I don’t think I got to convey even a fraction of how good this book is. All I got to say is grab a copy and start reading.
Until the next book adventure… Adios!
Amaya Karawgoda
EBH 2022