MLE's Porn and Ponies

I really wanted to like this book. The premise seemed interesting, and I liked the concept of the chracters, but something kept me from really enjoying it. This book wasn't bad per say, but I found myself unable to connect with it in the way I wished I had been able to. The characters felt a bit flat to me. They were quirky on the surface, but other than their interest in comics, and edgier bands they felt shallow as people. I was especially disappointed by Eleanor. I understand why she acts the way she does, but I can't help but feel let down by the way she seems content to leave her sister and brothers to fend for themselves in their volatile home while she runs away to Park's house. She does nothing, and I mean nothing, to help any of them, and that frustrates me. She doesn't tell her guidance councilor, she doesn't call DHHS or the police, and she doesn’t even confide in Park of his parents. She knows she has options, but she consciously chooses to do nothing. I know she's afraid of making things worse, but every time she complains about her sister, or worries about her mother’s boyfriend, I can't help but think that maybe the reason her sister acts the way she does is the violent atmosphere they live in. I dislike her weak empathy, and victim complex. I understand she is a child, and it isn't her responsibility to raise or care for her siblings, but to do nothing, and pretty much leave them to deal with it made me dislike her.Park was hard for me to get a grip on. He seemed like he could have been interesting, but in some ways he was a bit too good perfect, and too understanding of Eleanor. He says he likes her, but I just wasn't able to get a good grasp of why. He went from disliking her to loving her too quickly. I think their relationship was another sticking point. It felt awkward, and forced. Things moved too quickly for me, even for teenage love, and it made it difficult for me to buy into the rest of the book. They went from dislike to love, and I got lost somewhere in between. With Eleanor holding so much back how could they really be in love? The secondary characters were interesting. Eleanor's brothers and sister seemed to be well developed, but the story sort of glossed over them, and Eleanor certainly didn't pay much attention to them. They only seemed to be an issue when the plot needed them, and the rest of the time they just weren’t an issue. Eleanor’s mother and her mother's boyfriend felt a bit too Lifetime special, and seemed one dimensional. I liked Park's family a bit more. His parents seemed a bit better developed. They are far from perfect, but they aren't bad people either. I liked that some of the kids they went to school with had hidden depths as well, and even the ones that weren't necessarily the nicest people. I would have to say the ending was one of my favorite parts. I liked the honesty, and difficulty of it. It was hopeful, but not in an artificially inflated way. I continued to be disappointed by Eleanor. In the end she didn't have to be a hero, but she should have done something. It reinforced my view of her as selfish. Maybe a bit harsh, and unfair, but it felt like she took the easiest way out. Her weak actions at the end did nothing to protect her siblings, and, considering her mother, the chances that they will end up right back where they started, or in an equally bad place seem pretty high.