Eleanor & Park: Final Thoughts

After finishing up the last hundred or so pages of Eleanor & Park, I cannot help but to feel slightly heartbroken and depressed.

From the very first page of this book, I knew the idea of a happy ending had very little chance of happening. I was just hoping that by some miracle, Eleanor and Park would find a way to be together. It is true that the book didn't end on a totally bad note. Eleanor finally wrote Park back and even said “I love you.” This small interaction didn’t seem like it was enough to me. Like any book that closes on a cliffhanger, it makes me crazily wonder what will happen next??!? I would doubt that Rainbow Rowell would make a sequel to this book, but it really would be nice to know if the two ever do see each other again. I have never read a book that leaves me with so many questions at the end.

There was a ton of surprises in the end of this story. What surprised me the most, (other than the fact that Eleanor and Park didn't end up together) was how Richie went absolutely crazy while he was out searching for Eleanor. I had no idea that it was Richie who was writing those awful words on Eleanor's books, and I never expected him to be so observant of what Eleanor does. Although I am upset that Eleanor had to leave Park, I am so relieved that she was able to get away from her stepdad. In the middle of the story when her mom mentions her uncle's offer to visit him over the summer, I had no idea that this was foreshadowing how the book would end. I actually thought that the small invite would never be relevant or even be mentioned again.

It is very interesting to me to think about what would have happened to Eleanor if Park wouldn't have been there to take her to her uncle's house.  Would she have eventually gone home? Would Richie have hurt her? What would she have done? It also makes me want to question what would have happened if instead of her going to her uncles, she went to Parks parents for help? There are so many loose ends to this story, it just kills me.

If Rowell wanted us to know the answers to these burning questions, she would have answered them. Some stories are more thoughtful when you don't know the answer to every question. Overall, I honestly enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would have, and I would totally recommend it to anyone.