Rainbow Rowell’s young-adult novel Eleanor & Park mainly takes place in Nebraska.
The story is set in Omaha during the 1980s and follows Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan as they develop a relationship while riding the same school bus. Their different family circumstances and experiences of adolescence shape the novel’s central conflict.
Rowell published the novel in 2013. The period setting is important because the characters communicate through mix tapes, comic books, and face-to-face encounters rather than smartphones or social media. Park’s Korean American family and Eleanor’s difficult home life add further dimensions to the story.
Readers may remember the broader Midwest setting but mistake the state for Kansas, Iowa, or Oklahoma. The novel’s city is Omaha, Nebraska. Its fictional neighborhoods and school life are grounded in Rowell’s portrayal of 1980s Nebraska.