Eleanor & Park characters

Appears from the start

A sixteen-year-old girl newly returned to a crowded and unstable home after being expelled by her stepfather for a year. Eleanor is large, red-haired, and dressed in mismatched clothes because her family has little money. She is intelligent and sharply observant, using defiance to protect herself from humiliation at home and school.

Appears from the start

A sixteen-year-old Omaha boy with a Korean mother and white American father. Park tries to remain unnoticed among his classmates and worries about falling short of his father's ideas of masculinity. He reluctantly gives Eleanor the empty seat beside him on the school bus.

Appears from the start

A popular girl who controls the back seats of the school bus and targets Eleanor's clothes, size, and difference. Tina's hostility establishes how quickly Eleanor is marked as an outsider.

Appears from the start

A loud, physically imposing schoolmate who sits near Tina and Park on the bus. Steve's teasing helps police the group's social order, though Park has known him long enough to see more than a simple enemy.

First appears in chapter 3

Eleanor's mother, who loves her children but lives under the control of her volatile husband Richie. Sabrina works to keep the household functioning with almost no money, privacy, or security and is cautious about anything that might provoke him.

First appears in chapter 3

Eleanor's stepfather, an abusive and controlling man whose drinking and temper dominate the family's home. Richie previously threw Eleanor out and treats her return as conditional, leaving her constantly alert to his moods.

First appears in chapter 3

Eleanor's younger brother, old enough to understand much of the danger at home but still dependent on the adults around him. Ben shares the cramped bedroom with the other Douglas children.

First appears in chapter 3

Eleanor's younger sister. Maisie lives with her siblings in the same crowded room and has adapted to the household's secrecy and rapidly changing tensions.

First appears in chapter 6

Park's Korean-born mother, who runs a hairdressing business from the family home. Mindy is stylish, affectionate, and initially puzzled by Eleanor's appearance, but she pays close attention to Park's feelings.

First appears in chapter 6

Park's father, an army veteran who met Mindy in Korea. Jamie loves his sons but places particular value on toughness, driving, and conventional masculinity, making Park uncertain of his approval.

First appears in chapter 6

Park's younger brother, who more easily matches their father's athletic and masculine expectations. Josh's confidence sometimes sharpens Park's sense that he is the less favored son.

First appears in chapter 10

One of the girls who befriends Eleanor in gym class. DeNice is candid and good-humored, providing Eleanor with companionship that is separate from Park and from the pupils who harass her.

First appears in chapter 10

A classmate who befriends Eleanor alongside DeNice. Beebi's easy acceptance gives Eleanor one of her few safe social spaces at school.