Eleanor & Park Characters

Round Peg in a Square Hole?Whip-smart, brave, and definitely not "nice"(21.35), Eleanor Douglas stands out in a crowd from the minute we meet her. For one thing, she doesn't look like anyone elseâ€...

Owner of a Lonely HeartIf you met Park Sheridan on the bus, you'd probably think he was cool, maybe a little weird, and definitely an outsider. Park's not into sports, partying, girls, or the socia...

Eleanor's stepdad, Richie, is beyond evil—he's in straight-up monster territory—and his presence is so terrifying that it's felt in Eleanor's house even when he's not home, creating an atmosphe...

If Richie is the book's villain, Eleanor's mom, Sabrina, is his primary victim. She's not easy to pin down. On the one hand, she's been treated horribly by both of her husbands, leaving her with a...

Park's dad, Jamie Sheridan, is, on the surface, a stereotypical "man's man." He's a huge, strong, handsome Army veteran who Eleanor thinks looks "just like Tom Selleck" (21.115-116). He's from an I...

Park's mom, Mindy—real name Min-Dae—is a beautician from Korea. She met Park's dad Jamie when he was in the Army, and left her family behind to start a life with him in Omaha. She's tiny and ve...

Tina, the "popular girl" at school, is the primary source of a lot of the bullying and name-calling that plagues Eleanor. Tina dated Park in sixth grade, and was his first kiss, which brought him a...

Steve Murphy is sort of like the male equivalent of Tina—and, in fact, he's dating her. Steve is loud, obnoxious, and at the top of the food chain. Park thinks Steve "looked like a grown man sinc...

Josh Sheridan is Park's brother, younger by three years. Unlike Park, he takes after their dad, both in looks and personality. He's big and strong—three inches taller than Park already—and he's...

Eleanor has four siblings: Ben, Maisie, and Mouse are her full siblings, and Richie, Jr. is her half-sibling, and her mom and Richie's only child. Ben is twelve, Maisie is nine, Mouse (real name Je...

Mr. Stessman is Eleanor and Park's honors English teacher. He seems a little bit clueless—Park laments that "only Mr. Stessman would make a chubby girl read a poem about eating on her first day o...

DeNice and Beebi befriend Eleanor in gym class after watching Eleanor suffer as the target of Tina's bullying. They seem to mostly just hang out with each other, and aren't really a part of the mai...

Park's friend Cal is sort of a regular guy. His personality only serves to set Park apart, reminding us that Park doesn't really fit in, even with people he considers good friends. Cal keeps buggin...