Eleanor & Park Summary

In Omaha, Nebraska, from 1986 to 1987, two tenth graders, Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan, navigate a challenging school year. Eleanor, a newcomer, is large, awkward, and red-haired, often wearing men's clothes with eccentric accessories, making her an outcast. Smart and talented in English, her home life is less successful as she, her mother, her abusive, alcoholic stepfather Richie, and four younger siblings live in poverty. Park, on the other hand, feels alienated despite living in Omaha his whole life. As one of the rare Asian American students, he's interested in music and comic books. His home life is more stable, but tension exists with his father, who wishes for Park to be more masculine.

Initially sullen and resentful when Eleanor first shares Park's bus seat, they eventually form a bond over shared music and comic books. Their relationship deepens, conversations begin, and their bus rides become the high point of their days. Holding hands marks a turning point in their relationship, and they become infatuated. While Park professes his love, Eleanor shows affection but never verbally reciprocates. Despite the joy brought by their relationship, other aspects of their lives remain turbulent. Eleanor suffers from bullying at school with escalating hostility at home, and Park grapples with defending Eleanor and defying his father's expectations of traditional masculinity.

The story climaxes when Eleanor's stepfather Richie destroys her personal belongings and leaves a threatening note, revealing himself as the anonymous bully leaving lewd messages in her textbooks. Fleeing her home, Eleanor finds unlikely help from school bullies and decides to seek refuge with her uncle in Minnesota. Park offers to drive her, embarking on a bittersweet journey as they anticipate a long separation. After their parting, Park writes to Eleanor, but she doesn't respond, too distressed to open his letters. Eventually, he ceases communication, attempting to move on. The novel concludes with Eleanor sending Park a three-word postcard, the contents of which remain undisclosed to readers.