Eleanor’s mother. A beautiful and kind woman whose abusive relationship with her second husband Richie completely dominates her life. Sabrina organizes her days around staying out of Richie’s way and trying to keep him off the war path—nevertheless, she still winds up suffering verbal, physical, and sexual abuse at his hands at least weekly. Sabrina is portrayed as someone who used to be strong but who has been worn down over the course of years of abuse—she frequently chooses keeping Richie happy over her own children’s well-being, and Eleanor, the only one of her siblings who has ever truly stood up to Richie, is often the victim of Sabrina’s indifference or betrayal. When the novel begins, Eleanor has just returned home after a year of living with Sabrina’s friends after Richie kicked her out, and there is an uneasiness between Eleanor and Sabrina as Eleanor begins to realize that her mother will never choose her over Richie again. Sabrina seems to want to turn things around and provide for her children—but Richie’s strict control over her behavior, her finances, and indeed her body prohibit her from breaking free.
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Sabrina Douglas Character Timeline in Eleanor and Park
The timeline below shows where the character Sabrina Douglas appears in Eleanor and Park. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...doesn’t know her new address yet, and can’t walk home; she can’t call her mother, Sabrina, for a ride, as her mother has no car or even a phone; the idea...
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Eleanor knows that no matter how bad the teasing gets, she can’t complain to her mother —if she does, her mother will make her ride to school with her stepfather, Richie,...
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Chapter 4
...the rest of her siblings, and she is relieved to have some alone time with her mother . After having been away from her family for a year, Eleanor was flattened and...
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Eleanor’s mother, Sabrina, who is preparing soup for dinner, asks her how school was—Eleanor says it was “fine,”...
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Sabrina conspiratorially tells Eleanor she has something to show her before leading her to the hall...
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Chapter 8
...she is “crumbling at the edges.” As soon as the other little kids get home, Sabrina kicks them all out of the house—Eleanor included—for making too much noise. Eleanor walks past...
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...like living with “those people”—last year, Eleanor went to stay with the Hickmans, friends of Sabrina’s. Eleanor says that it was “okay” staying with them, but privately thinks that the Hickmans’...
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Chapter 11
After school, Eleanor takes a bath while her mother makes bean soup for dinner—again. Sabrina points out that Eleanor has been quiet lately, and asks her if everything is okay....
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...She wakes up in the middle of the night to the sounds of Richie’s shouting—and Sabrina’s crying. Eleanor can sense that all of her other siblings are already awake, sitting up...
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...wakes up to the sound of her alarm. She smells bacon, and is grateful that her mother is alive and well enough to make breakfast. Eleanor smells like pee—one of her little...
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Chapter 15
The next morning, while Eleanor is doing her hair for school, Sabrina comes into the bedroom. Eleanor tells her mother that she doesn’t want to talk about...
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Chapter 18
Eleanor tells her mother about her father’s offer in front of all the other kids—but Sabrina tells Eleanor she can’t go. Eleanor’s siblings all start crying because they miss their father....
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Chapter 19
...and is taken back to pleasant memories of listening to music as a child while her mother cleaned the house. She pushes the almost painfully sweet memories away and begins finding records...
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Chapter 20
Sunday night, Eleanor—who has never lied to her mother about “anything important” before—tells Sabrina that she is planning on going to a neighborhood friend’s house tomorrow after school. Eleanor...
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Chapter 21
...to it on the ride. At Eleanor’s locker, she tells Park that she has told her mother she might go over to a friend’s after school—Park tells her he’d love for Eleanor...
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Chapter 22
...house, Eleanor is surprised to find two new pairs of jeans folded on her bed— her mother has been to Goodwill. The jeans are a little baggy, but they’re less threadbare than...
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Chapter 24
Eleanor has, to her great shame, gotten good at sleeping through Sabrina and Richie’s arguments. Tonight, though, she is startled awake by a noise, and knows that...
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As the police enter the house, Eleanor hears Richie cursing and the kids crying. Sabrina comes out to the living room and reprimands Eleanor for calling the police, begging her...
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Sabrina brings Eleanor back to her and her siblings’ room and explains that Richie fired the...
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Chapter 25
...match because Richie didn’t like the sound of Eleanor’s typewriter, and the fight culminated in Sabrina leading her out of the house and bringing her to a neighbor’s. Eleanor had no...
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Chapter 27
The next morning, Eleanor actually feels better. Her mother gives her a little gift of a glass flower pin she found at the thrift...
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Chapter 31
The narrative switches to Eleanor’s point of view. One day, Sabrina wakes Eleanor up early and asks her to walk to the grocery store with her—40...
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Chapter 32
...home in Minnesota for the summer to attend a camp for gifted high school students. Sabrina, touched and overjoyed, reads the letter aloud—Richie instantly protests sending Eleanor away. As the younger...
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Later in the day, Sabrina comes into Eleanor’s room to tell her to get ready for a family outing to...
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Chapter 33
On Christmas Day, Eleanor sleeps until noon. Sabrina comes in to wake her up, but apologizes when she sees that Eleanor looks like...
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...no pumpkin pie—a fact that sends the intoxicated Richie flying into a rage. He berates Sabrina for cooking a subpar meal, and throws the bowl of rice pudding at the wall...
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Chapter 37
...Park. She has considered sneaking out to meet him, but knows her mother would find out—Sabrina has already discovered the makeup products Mindy gave Eleanor, and Eleanor has had to lie...
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Chapter 38
...the corner, looks up at Eleanor blankly. Eleanor warns her siblings that if they tell Sabrina or Richie, Eleanor will get kicked out again.
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Chapter 40
...tells her mother the whole story. As she rinses out Eleanor’s clothes in the bathtub, Sabrina says Eleanor doesn’t have to go back to school if she doesn’t want to. Sabrina...
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Chapter 42
...she’s been at Tina’s. Richie then asks Eleanor what she bought with her Christmas money. Sabrina comes out of the bedroom and tells Eleanor to go to bed. Eleanor looks Richie...
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Chapter 43
That night, when Eleanor gets home from Park’s, she’s in a good mood. Sabrina offers to watch the door for Eleanor while she takes a bath. As Eleanor soaks...
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Chapter 44
Wednesday night, Richie works late and Sabrina makes frozen pizzas for Eleanor and all the kids. It is a rare happy night...
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Chapter 50
...been turned “upside down.” He encourages Eleanor to wait until the morning and talk to her mother , but Eleanor says that given what Richie’s been writing on her books, she can’t...
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Chapter 51
...her siblings behind, and worries that Richie is out looking for her somewhere or that her mother has called the police. She wishes she could go back for Maisie and the others,...
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