Eleanor & Park

It's hard to say what sets this book apart from the other “misfits find love” novel. Maybe it's the 1986 setting and the callback to the days of Walkmans and pre-Internet ways of finding good music. Maybe it's the way Rowell shows how Park's parents love each other and love him, but still can't figure him out. Maybe it's the way she brings sexiness back to the simple act of holding hands. Maybe it's just the indefinable something that Rowell brought to her debut adult novel, Attachments, and now to this very effective YA novel. With the publication of a “New Adult” novel in Fall 2013, Rowell might just hit the trifecta of crafting quirky romances that appeal to all ages.

Edit upon second read: Damn it, I'm changing this to 5 stars. No other book I have read in recent years has ripped my heart right out of my chest. I was right there with Eleanor and Park as they deal with their growing relationship with equal parts amazement and fear and as they make the final agonizing choice that saves Eleanor but tears them apart.