December's Book Pick is the fabulous YA novel, ELEANOR & PARK, by Rainbow Rowell.
ELEANOR & PARK is a delightfully complex and realistic portrayal of first love. When Eleanor appears on the school bus, Park initially wonders why she didn't "get what a mess she was." She wears weird clothes on her big, awkward, brightly-redheaded self. But Park is a nice guy, so he moves over to let her sit down. It's not long before finds himself inexplicably drawn to Eleanor, and she to him, even though they are worlds apart.
Park, like any normal teen, has parents and a brother that annoy him, but there is never any question of how much this family cares for each other. Eleanor, on the other hand, lives with her mother and four siblings and her mother's abusive boyfriend in a house so tiny there is absolutely no privacy at all. As Eleanor and Park explore each other and their growing feelings for each other, we also get a picture of how their worlds affect who they are and what they bring to the relationship.
Rainbow Rowell gives us so much on these pages. We see Park grow from the boy who doesn't want to be noticed, into one who follows his heart. We see Eleanor slowly growing to trust Park, despite having lost trust in everyone who was ever close to her. We see Park's parents slowly come to terms with Park's relationship with Eleanor, even realizing more fully than Park can, what she is dealing with.
ELEANOR & PARK is heartbreaking, like when we realize why Eleanor's jeans have fabric pinned to them--not to necessarily be different, but to hide the holes in them. And it's funny, too, in its most human moments, like when Eleanor tries to sit on Park's waterbed. And it's devastating, when Eleanor's world, and Park's too by extension, explodes.
If you haven't yet tried ELEANOR & PARK, I hope you get your hands on a copy. And if you loved E&P, consider giving Fangirl a try--it's blissfully wonderful. And if anyone hears anything about a new Rainbow Rowell book coming out, please let me know, asap!
--Lynn
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