Park and Eleanor (entry 1)

I am about halfway through my novel Park and Eleanor. So far the book is very different than anything I have read and I am enjoying it.  The main characters are Park and Eleanor.  The book takes place in the 1980s in Ohama. I liked the way that the book drew me in because of its unique setting. This time period has always fascinated me. The novel had a slow start but I became more intrigued when I started reading about Eleanor’s troubled life.  I learned shortly after chapter 6 that no matter what, she was a strong individual. It seemed she had always been this way. Even if she wasn’t a new student; spending a year couch surfing followed by being thrown out by her odious drunkard of a stepfather, Richie. I’ve noticed that Eleanor’s troubled home life is the major conflict throughout the book so far. She has to reach through tough times and bullying at home and school and become her own person.  Luckily, Park helps her get through these hard times. On her first day of school he offered a seat on the bus next to him even though he knew she was “different.” The first few weeks they ignored each other but after a while Park started to admire Eleanor’s unique mannerisms. He started looking at her every day until she noticed. I made the connection to this particular part of the book to the Fault in our Stars by John Green. Augustus did the same thing to Hazel in a church support group. He admired her so he gave her attention by staring at her for a long period of time. After reading both parts of each novel I noticed that this was a good strategy and worked. I started to wonder if they are going to start to fall in love just like Hazel and Augustus did. I am now in a place in my book that Park and Eleanor are sharing recoding cassette tapes and reading comics together on the bus. This shows how their relationship is escalating just like it did in the other novel.