Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park

Eleanor & Park, written by the popular Rainbow Rowell, is another solid young adult novel to add to your collection (home or library). It is beautifully written, swapping between the perspectives of two teen misfits that lend their name to the title.

Park wants to go by unnoticed, preferring to just do his own thing and move on. He is clever, a dedicated martial artist, and music-lover. From the moment his headphones go on for the bus ride home, he enters his own world and wants to be left alone there.

Eleanor is the new kid at school, with a troublesome home life. Strange, and perhaps eccentric in terms of her style, she is good-hearted, but not quite “nice”. She sits next to Park on the bus just because it is the only seat remaining, but, like him, at least she just wants to be left alone. Or maybe things aren’t that simple after all?

The story is predictable in terms of its beginning love arc, but that doesn’t make it any less good. Even knowing what was going to happen, I was still eager to turn each page, happy to be getting to know our two protagonists a little bit better. The character progression is believable, as is each situation that arises because of their choices.

While teen love is a huge theme in the book (parodied within the book by references to Romeo and Juliet about what love actually is, and whether teens understand the concept of and feel true love), it is not quite as light hearted as it first appears. It deals with family, domestic violence, and abuse, all in a serious and honest tone that is not thrown in merely for the sake of drama.

I read an obvious last sentence but still turned over, ever hopeful there was one more page only to be let down. Though it is well-written, fans of the characters will be left wanting more; to know specific details after the story ends. More often than not, these things are best less ambiguous, so over-all, the ending is really a satisfying one.

‘Eleanor & Park’ is definitely a page-turner, so clear out two to three hours in your schedule to start and polish it off in one sitting. After finishing it, check out Rainbow Rowell’s works. While I can’t personally recommend them, having yet to read them myself, the Internet has decided that while this book is a good one, it is not her best. That is an exciting prospect!

Bryan Lee O'Malley "Lost At Sea"

I am not a particular fan of Bryan Lee O'Malley,or at least, I wasn't before "Lost At Sea". I've always appreciated his art style, which alone drove me to read through the Scott Pilgrim series, which I found lacking after everyone swore that I would like it. I found SP too gimmicky, and without any real substance.

Bad reviews kept me from reading this novel for a long time, and I really regret that. I think I'll address the most common complaint first. For one, it is described as "emo", but it depends on your definition of the word. Is this book sad or bleak for the sake of being sad or bleak? No. Is this book genuinely raw and emotional? Yes, sort of. It's not overly dramatic, the protagonist, Raleigh, is just convinced she doesn't have a soul. Not because she is bad, but purely because she has become kind of numb.

Chances are, Raleigh is dealing with moderate to severe depression (and you are probably beginning to see not only why I like this book, but relate to its protagonist). Her perceived importance relating to cats could even be a kind of psychosis, but I digress. On the surface, this is the story of a regular eighteen year old is a little lost, and unable to feel things the same way that she did before, whatever else you want to read into it.

Her world is in quiet discord, and she has found something good in it, and she is unsure of how it will turn out. It leaves her anxious, uncertain, and completely confused, not only about this subject but seemingly life itself. By the age of eighteen, you feel like you should know a lot more than you do, and that you should know yourself better. It is one of the great delusions of adulthood that you think, at any one point, you will suddenly have a clear, unchanging view of yourself.

I like the progression of the story, and I adore how her friends start to indulge her in her quest, in the middle of the night. Despite what other reviews have said, I don't think this is a story about the blurred lines between reality and delusion or fantasy. It is just symbolism. She has lost something important to her, something apart of her, and searching on the streets seems like a good a place as any.

"Lost At Sea" is not going to be likable to everyone. If you were ever lost or depressed as a teenager, Raleigh will strike a chord with you. You'll like this story if you have embraced this side of yourself, a teenage phase or not (as the other typical negative review was "I was like Raleigh and I don't want to relive that").

I was quite happy, for a short while, to be lost in misunderstood adolescence for a while. I think I'll go back to read this again when I am feeling slightly sad and wistful for a former self. I'm pretty sure I'll end up buying this one for my permanent collection, so at the very least it is definitely worth borrowing.

Meg Wolitzer "The Ten Year Nap"

The central themes contained in "The Ten Year Nap" include motherhood, marriage, career, and the individual meaning of life. It is mainly from the perspective of a variety of mothers, showing glimpses of husbands, partners, and children through their stories. All of them showed promise at something in the past, but many have given it up solely for motherhood. While some are content with this, others are not, and a few haven't had to sacrifice anything at all.

The main protagonist is most definitely Amy, but it doesn't mean she steals the show. In the same fashion as The Interestings, Meg Wolitzer gives each chapter a new perspective, gently over-lapping and intwining the resulting stories together, often non-chronologically, and often so that the importance of the scene is not fully realised until later.

"The Ten Year Nap" and "The Interestings" were the most interesting fictional stories I have read in the last month, perhaps even the last year. I am beginning to wonder if I have ever read anything as adult, as interesting, or as real as this before. Meg Wolitzer has changed my life in subtle but undeniable ways, and I am pleased and honoured to finally have stumbled upon her genius.

The moment I returned this to the library, I picked up another Wolitzer book they held. My current rule is 4 non-fiction books and 1 fiction book a week. It has been quite some time since I have been craving a fiction book, but this time I cannot wait for another of her adventures.