One day out of the blue Shriti said read Eleanor & Park. You will like it.

And I take this kind of recommendations very seriously. Just like Aditi’s recco to read The Missing Rose.

I searched the online bookstore & the price was almost 1400 bucks. I usually do not look at the price while purchasing books but I do set certain limits. Else I would go bankrupt in no time. I so wanted to purchase the book but thought to wait for certain time to see if there is a sale / the price is marked down a bit.

Meanwhile I kept reading from the e books collection I have got thanks to Nirav. After Bossy Pants I was looking out for some interesting title. Though I love Dan Brown, was not in the mood for Deception Point, which I stopped reading after couple of pages. While browsing, my eyes stuck on one title. No points for guessing. I just wanted to jump with joy! Here I was holding a treasure & wasn’t even aware about it. Just like real life, isn’t it?

Anyway, I started reading the book. I had no clue what was it about. Just couple of pages & I was hooked. Hooked to Eleanor, hooked to Park & hooked to both of them. A part of the reason was that my life resembled Eleanor’s at some level. A misfit, who was made fun of, who stayed aloof coz she knew she could never be like others & had no place in their lives. And who dreams of someone like Park. Who will hold her hand & make everything ok.

I got carried away in their world & just like they didn’t want to part with each other, I didn’t want to be apart from the book. I wanted to stay with them. To know they were safe. Half way through the book I was scared. Scared that the author would not give them a happy ending. What if the end isn’t happy? What if they have to part forever? At one point I was so sure about it that I contemplated leaving the book incomplete.

It has been a long time that a book has enchanted me so much that I can’t put it down. Yes it is teenage romance. Not my genre. But then life is unusual. We find love in places we never ever imagine. Yes, we can find love in fiction. In fictional characters.

I am glad that the author has not given it a cliched ending. The last line of the book made me so happy that I cried a little. Eleanor & Park. I love you. I know those were the three words Eleanor sent on the post card. And I am happy that she didn’t stop. :’)